the girlfriend experience, james potter
𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟕

chapter twenty-four, SINGLE AND READY TO MINGLE

✧ ━━━ · ✦ · ━━━ ✧

     "YOU'RE JOKING."

     "Alas, I am not."

     "But you've worked so hard for this, B."

     "I know," Bronwyn replied, "and none of that is going to waste I just . . . want a break."

     It was (almost) official: The Girlfriend Experience was going on a hiatus for the upcoming future with no news on how long this hiatus would last. Since James Potter was grasping his love life by the reins with two firm hands, Bronwyn had come to the realisation that maybe she should do the same. She had enough experience with both boys and girls, knew what to expect and how to handle people talking and awkward dates. She was a pro in fake relationships so it was about time she had a real one for herself.

      Andromeda was less enthusiastic.

     "But everyone at this school is gross," Bronwyn's best friend told her. "You remind me of that all the time." Andromeda was the first (and often, only) person to hear about Bronwyn's dating horror stories. They were both well aware of the very strange dating pool Hogwarts had to offer and yet it hadn't put Bronwyn off just yet.

     "Yes," Bronwyn sing-songed as she packed her school bag for the day ahead, "but now I'll be looking at them through a fresh pair of lenses. Someone who isn't there to judge or assess or take money from. A completely unbiased viewpoint who is a lot more open-minded and optimistic than before. I think it will be good for me."

     Andromeda sat crossed-legged on Bronwyn's bed while the latter shoved books in her bag while it rested on the bench at the foot of the bed. "You're sure you want a relationship?" Andromeda was convinced this was just early-morning delusion. You know, like when you go to bed planning the next day to be productive and action-packed and then you lie in way too long for any of that to be possible?

     "Maybe," Bronwyn shrugged. "I at least don't want to be fake-dating anymore. I've saved enough money and I have a pretty good client base if I ever wanted to come back to it. But it's our last year. Maybe I want my Hogwarts legacy to be more than just The Girlfriend Experience. Maybe I want to meet my future spouse here, I don't know."

     Andromeda held her laugh in for approximately four seconds before it came bursting out of her. "What the fuck did James Potter do to your poor mind? I mean, you spend a week with him and now you think you're going to find your high school sweetheart at Wizarding School? Honey, he might think he has but you're not as delusional as he is."

     Bronwyn stopped what she was doing and stared dead-straight at her friend. "This has nothing to do with James Potter."

     It had everything to do with James Potter. In fact, if it weren't for him, she probably would never have considered putting her business on hold. The way James spoke about Lily and his determination made Bronwyn want her own James. She wanted someone to look at her the way he looked at Lily, to pine after her as resolutely as he did. It might be silly but what about it? She was a teenage girl after all.

     "I don't believe you," Andromeda deadpanned.

     "I don't know what to tell you, A," Bronwyn replied. "I have no clients lined up, I'm all caught up on my school work, my next Quidditch match isn't for a month ─ I need a distraction. A bit of fun, maybe. Is that too much to ask for?"

     Andromeda's face twisted in scepticism. "For you? Maybe?" This earned her a scowl from Bronwyn. "I'm just saying, B. You're like the most independent, wise person I know. You're a lone wolf ─ I'd hate to see you brought down by some stupid, entitled loser."

      Bronwyn pulled her bag onto her shoulder, briefly checking the clock on her bedside. "Then I'll just have to find a non-stupid, non-entitled, non-loser to date."

     Bronwyn's best friend was still not convinced. "Good luck with that. Tell me when you find one."

✧

     THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE HAD BEEN DISBANDED FOR APPROXIMATELY an hour and forty-five minutes and Bronwyn's optimism was still going strong (she would be concerned if it wasn't). She strode into her Potions class with a spring in her step feeling as though her shoulders were weightless (impressive considering she had about six textbooks lumped in her bag).

     No, she was not going to find anyone in her Potions class, she was sure of it, because she already knew everyone in it, but after her Potions class she had a free period. And in her free period she was going to the library. Why the library would be successful at finding a future partner, you may wonder, well, smart people went to the library. Smart, responsible people who cared about their education went to the library ─ the best type. It was so large and often dim that Bronwyn overlooked the people in it. Plus, she didn't go there to find future prospects so this time around, she would have a new perspective.

     It was sure to work.

     But first: class. A painful fact because, not only did Andromeda sit at the back of the class while Bronwyn sat on the middle row, but Sirius was in front of her, Peter beside her, and James a couple of seats to the left of Sirius. Despite Slughorn's best attempt at keeping them away from each other, they still figured out how to communicate even with the distance and thus piss off the entire class in the process.

     The troublemakers were already cackling in their seats prior to Slughorn's arrival but James immediately noticed a lively Bronwyn arrive.

     As soon as she was seated, James turned in his seat. "You look almost . . .  happy today, Ward," he said with a slight grimace.

     "And is that so hard to believe, Potter?" She asked, unloading her bag onto her desk, a smile still fixed on her face.

     James wasted no time responding. "Yes."

     Bronwyn shook her head to shake his response off, knowing she should never consider James Potter's words for too long. "If you must know," she drawled, which is when she realised she had him hooked onto her every word as if he couldn't breathe until she explained what was making her so chipper today.

     "I'm suspending The Girlfriend Experience."

     As satisfying as it was to hear a groan from behind her, Bronwyn was more focused on the way James' features muddled. "And why does that make you so happy?"

     "Yeah, you were getting bank, mate," Sirius made his brief contribution to the conversation before untwisting himself from his seat and returning to the doodle he was executing on the table.

     Bronwyn ignored Sirius and continued to talk to James. "I felt it was time for me to date, you know? Properly."

     James' lips parted. He tilted his head. A crease formed between his brows. Finally, he said, "No, I don't know."

     "So because I help other people date, I can't date myself?" Bronwyn was asking the whole class at this point.

     Peter decided to have his word in as he drew toadstools on the front of his class book. "Date show hosts are always single. I think it's pretty normal."

     Bronwyn turned to James and, with her facial expressions, asked him to translate.

     Which James did with a shrug. "He said yes, essentially."

     Rolling her eyes and shaking away their disapproval(something she didn't even ask for), Bronwyn straightened up her stationary in front of her and dismissed them all. "I'm not asking for your opinion, gentleman. It's our last year and I think I should make the most of it."

     "But you hate everyone here?"

     "That's . . .," Bronwyn thought she could defend herself but her two-person friendship group spoke volumes, "not true."

     This even caused Sirius to turn back around just to give her a cynical look.

     "When I'm in a relationship, you'll see," she pinned Sirius with a look and then James before opening her textbook on a random page and then pretended to be engrossed by whatever was there.

     She hoped her nonchalant act would hold up and it did, but not because she was good at acting but because Slughorn entered the classroom then and all eyes were on him, thoughts of Bronwyn's future dating life long gone.

     But not for James. In fact, for the entirety of the lesson, he was plagued with thoughts about Bronwyn in a relationship. She had been in them before but that was a long time ago before he felt as though they had connected as friends. And the fake dating never counted nor bothered him. So why was he so worked up at seeing her make her own decisions as if they were bad ones? She was allowed to do what she wanted, it had nothing to do with him. Especially since she had proved so helpful to get him into a relationship. Which was going to happen. Soon. Definitely.

     At the end of the class, James noticed how Bronwyn was off like a rocket. This confused him because Bronwyn was never that eager to go anywhere. But once he had packed up his own things, he made sure to follow her, and when he was in ear range, he called out to her and asked: "You've got a free, right?"

     He knew exactly what her answer would be because he had memorised her entire schedule. He knew for a fact she had a free but she wasn't heading in the direction of the Slytherin common room as she usually did.

     Bronwyn turned around and nodded. "And what?" She too had memorised James' timetable but, even with the knowledge that he too had a free the next period, she didn't know what that had to do with her.

     "What are you doing?" James asked, hoping he didn't come across as some kind of psycho ex-boyfriend because that's what everyone thought he was to her. Which he was still only just trying to come to terms with.

     "I'm off to the library," she told him, oozing with confidence she didn't have.

     James quirked a brow, "Because you're going to research how to find someone to date?" As someone as outgoing as he was, as well as being someone who hardly ever stepped foot in the library, James was confused about what Bronwyn thought she'd find there.

     Her face soured. "No. I'm going to find someone studious to date. Studious people go to the library. You wouldn't get it."

     James didn't understand why Bronwyn would want someone like that but that wasn't the part of her response that he was focusing on for now. "Because I'm not studious?"

     "So you do get it."

     With a shrug and a smile, Bronwyn was off.

     But, like all of his friends, James wanted Bronwyn to be happy. And if this was what she thought would make her happy, then so be it. He wanted to be able to say he contributed. He wanted in.

     "Wait!" He said to the back of her head, where her hair was swinging back and forth in its ponytail.

     Bronwyn turned around and fixed herself to the spot as James approached her. "Want to tell me again why you don't think I should do this and/or I'm undeserving of teenage love?"

     His expression went bland. "Of course I'm not going to do that. I want to help." She spared him a skeptical look but James knew just how to combat her dubiousness. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the library as if she didn't know where she was going. "It's about time I helped you out and if this is what you want, I am more than willing to put my popularity to good use."

     She thought it was sweet. And she had no reason to say no. Plus, some company in the high-ceiling, deathly quiet library was never not a nice entity. But that didn't mean she wasn't curious why James wasn't desperate to spend every spare moment he had with Lily Evans.

     "Fine," she said, their faces angled towards each other, "but you better never touch me like that again, Potter."

     Despite not meaning any harm by the hand on her waist, James immediately stepped away and lifted his arms in surrender as they entered the library. "Consider it done. That will be someone else's job soon anyway."

     She practically pushed him into the library by the distance he covered with her aggressive shove. Bronwyn was never one to accept that James Potter made her laugh.

     Once they had settled on a table in the library, James whipped out a fresh sheet of parchment and quill, smoothing it flat on the table. This was the first surprise of the evening: that James actually had stationary in his possession.

     "Right," he said, locking his fingers and placing them on the table in front of him. Bronwyn was both impressed and weirded out that he was taking this so seriously. "What traits are you looking for in a partner?"

     "This feels like a perverted intervention."

     "That's not the answer I was looking for."

     "Just felt like I had to say it."

     "Okay, well if I'm the only one that is going to take this seriously─"

     Bronwyn actually laughed out loud and when he pinned her to the spot with a semi-confused glare, she stopped herself, tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "I'm sorry. Please proceed." It was rare for James Potter to take anything seriously.

     "For me to make a composite list, I need to know what you like, what you don't, and your type. Any extra details would be greatly appreciated."

     Bronwyn could have laughed at the way he poised his quill ready to go, but she held herself with composure and decided it would be productive to give him what he wanted. "Someone funny, respectful. Smart but not too serious. Quidditch is a bonus but they can't be better than me─"

     "Like that's hard."

     She kicked him under the table before continuing, noticing briefly the smirk that was now spreading across his face, "I would rather they weren't a Slytherin but that's not a must. And no one younger than a sixth year ─ I don't want to be labelled a pedo."

     James lifted his head from where it was bowed just to say, "No twelve-year-olds, I'm glad we cleared that up."

     "Do I need to kick you again?"

     "If you want me to leave then sure, that would work," he deadpanned before continuing to scribble. Bronwyn could make out a couple of names, with their age, a letter for their house beside them, alongside a few jotted traits but she decided not to pick up on any of them before he spoke to her again.

     But after five minutes of him crossing out and starting again and aggressively shifting in his seat, Bronwyn stopped him when she asked: "Can I stop you for a second?"

     James loosened his grip on his quill and said with a sigh, "If you must."

     "Why are you taking this so seriously?"

     James knew the answer straight away but, not only was it going to take a lot of confidence to say but he also couldn't predict how Bronwyn would react. Breathing in and sitting back in his chair, James finally said, "Because I want you to be happy."

     He would have thought it was obvious that the reason he was trying to find Bronwyn's perfect match was because he wanted to see her with someone as good as she deserved. But when she flinched just a little and her lips parted, he knew she was surprised.

     "Anyway, I was thinking we could go through students by house firs─"

     "Thank you, James," Bronwyn interrupted him again. It had taken her a second to fully process James' response and now that she finally had, her insides felt a little warm and she had never found herself so fond of the boy in front of her before. He deserved to know that she appreciated him. Even if she didn't often show it. "That's really sweet of you."

     James smiled. "No problem."

     They descended into a silence only made awkward by the fact that they had never discussed their feelings towards each other and so had no experience of what came next.

     Finally, Bronwyn leaned forward and tucked her chair further under the desk. "So," she said, tapping the blank parchment, "by house, you said?"

✧

     AN HOUR LATER, AND THEY HAD MADE VERY LITTLE PROGRESS. The list they had started to compile sat on the table between them, collecting dust, a total of five names scribbled on the parchment. They had each taken scouting trips up and down the aisles of the library twice to then report what they saw before getting distracted with who were previous clients of Bronwyn's and who were returning to their Quidditch teams for the next season.

     Bronwyn felt confident about two out of the five, while the other three were quite rogue and honestly, stabs in the dark.

     Potential partner number one was Maggie Johnson: Ravenclaw, respected chess prodigy, star Keeper (no pun intended), and poker legend. In James' words: "She's the whole package".

     Potential partner number two was Jack Prichard: Hufflepuff, Head Boy, rugby boy, and Muggleborn sweetheart. In James' words: "Your cup of tea".

     The others weren't as promising. They were honestly just on the list because they were conventionally attractive.

     "Is this honestly it?" She asked with a sigh, slumping into her seat.

     "I've done my best. What more do you want from me?"

     "Harrison Ford?"

     "Who?"

     Bronwyn let out a groan this time. "How are there only five viable students out of over one thousand?"

     James was running out of ideas. "There's always Snape?" His face instantly soured at the uninvited sighting he had of the Slytherin in question when they entered the library to scout out potential partners. "I saw him in here."

     "Hmm yes because you'd approve if I dated Severus Snape, wouldn't you?"

     James was taken aback. "Did you want my approval?"

     Bronwyn had hardly thought through what she had said but when she reconsidered it, she decided that she didn't not mean it. "Yeah, I guess I did."

     Since they'd known each other for a very long time and their lives were tightly linked, Bronwyn valued James' opinion. There were obviously limits to this but, in terms of potential partners, James would know who would suit her and who wouldn't. He knew what she liked and what she admired and he knew half the school already so he was the perfect person for this job. She was glad she accepted his offer of help in this department.

     James was touched, but he wanted to seem casual about this otherwise she may never ask for his help again. "Then you're right, absolutely not him," he said. "Or Sirius. Or Remus. Or Peter. Just none of my close friends and/or enemies."

     Bronwyn's lips thinned. She wasn't going to tell him she never considered any of his close friends anyway. "Got it." Biting her lip, Bronwyn spun the list on the table to face her to get another look at the names, as if new ones would magically appear. They did not and it made her even more frustrated. "Why does everyone seem to think I'm undateable?" She asked with a grumble that came from so low in her throat, that she was almost sure she had answered her own question.

     "It's not that," James shrugged, "it's just that, well, you're Bronwyn Ward."

     "Nice to know you've been paying attention, James," she deadpanned.

     "No, I mean, you don't date," he said. Bronwyn stared at him like he had grown extra limbs. She knew this ─ why was Potter relaying this information back to her? "And you're, well, you. Solitude is like your forte."

     What she was gathering from James' words (again, words she should take with a pinch of salt) was that nobody saw her as girlfriend material. Maybe that's what made her business so popular ─ no one actually wanted to date her, but she had enough experience behind her belt to be what they needed her to be. And, over time, that's all she became known for. She wasn't getting any more experience herself in the dating field and now she was too far gone. She was cupid, but never one to be hit by an arrow herself.

     Bronwyn was overwhelmed with the need to prove everyone wrong.

     "I don't think that, of course," James hastily added.

     In her moment of fuming epiphany, Bronwyn took a second to study him. He wasn't smiling the way he usually did (most likely with pride from the prank he executed with perfection the night before) but with a newfound appreciation. He was fond of the girl he was looking at and it was obvious to anyone who might walk past, that he meant every word he was saying.

     "You don't?" She asked him, a sense of hope building gradually beneath the annoyance.

     James nodded eagerly. "In fact, I think the reason your business is so useful is because you'd make such a good girlfriend. I mean, isn't that the whole point?"

     Was James Potter the only person on her side right now? And possibly the only person who saw her for what she was? It warmed her heart to think that the most probable reason for that was because they grew up sharing baths and dinners.

     But her blood was already boiling underneath her skin. She was frustrated, angry and even disappointed that this was what her business had amounted to ─ a doomed love life.

     Bronwyn Ward was going to acquire someone to date before the week was up.

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