ILLICIT AFFAIRS...JAMES POTTER

nine.

CHAPTER NINE
A Snake
April 13th, 1978

James read over and over again the last letter he had received from her, it was bittersweet he'd say. He was mostly happy to hear from her, and over the moon to read that she had been having fun in muggle London. He wondered if they'd be able to stroll around London, hand in hand...one day. He cleared his throat, folding the letter and putting it in his nightstand before rising to his feet.

The holidays had been fun for the most of it, all of his friends were there and they'd spend most of their times outdoors. Remus and Peter would speak under the big tree in the garden, while Sirius and James played Quidditch for long hours. Sometimes, they'd go in the muggle village not too far from his home, sit in this cafe called Chez Lola—probably a french woman who had moved to England, anyways her coffee was excellent—though, he found himself dying to have a butterbeer again.

Other days, he would get jealous of his two friends. Sirius and Remus weren't very affective in public, but it was the small details that—unfortunately—James had caught. Sirius intertwining their hands, Remus innocently running his hand through Sirius' curls or whispering into each other's ears. It had been seriously painful. He missed his lover.

"Pete, this isn't right," James muttered as he read his DADA essay. "Where did you get all these informations?"

"In the book?" He replied, not sure of himself.

James sighed, "Here," he told him, handing him his own essay. "Use mine if you need to, alright?"

"Thanks, James," he smiled softly, looking down at his own essay before effacing the whole thing with his wand. "Hey, don't you find Sirius and Remus...er...a little too annoying? I mean, not annoying but—"

"They're in love," James cut him off, glancing at his two friends as they laid into Sirius' bed. "You should he happy for them, Wormtail."

"Right, yeah," he muttered.

Peter was nice, James thought that—after all, they had been friends since forever. He had grown up with him and had shared everything with Peter before Hogwarts. But, sometimes he could be a little naive, though James knew he didn't mean to.

"Hey, Prongs," Remus called for him as Sirius left. "There's an owl at your window," he pointed as the maroon owl knocked on the window restlessly.

James rose on his feet rapidly, "Oh, that's Feather," he mumbled, opening the window slightly. "Hey, you," he cooed, patting the owl affectionately.

"Feather?" Remus questioned, making James go stiff. "Is it one of your family owl?"

"Er, no," James muttered. "She's my girlfriend's," he admitted lowly, hoping he wouldn't ask further questions.

"Girlfriend, eh? You never told us about her, who is she?" He asked, making himself comfortable in Sirius' bed, meaning he wouldn't leave until he had an answer.

James cleared his throat, "She's nice. I mean, she's funny and brilliant, Moony," he breathed out. "I think you would like her, at least she would have the bullocks to put Sirius back in his place," he chuckled.

"Who is able to put me back in my place?" Sirius queried as he entered the bedroom again, and plopped on the bed. "Well?"

"Oh, nothing," Remus said. "We were just talking about James' mysterious girlfriend," he grinned.

Sirius hummed, "Well there are only a few explanations why he hasn't told us yet," he started and James sighed loudly. If only he could tell them, it would make things so much easier. "First, Lily knows her. Second, she is not very nice or we don't like her—"