After The War (Romione & Hinny fan fiction)

Love, James

Trigger Warning: domestic abuse

The sun was setting when James and Noah landed back onto Hogwarts's Quidditch pitch. The air was so chilly it stung their faces, and their cheeks were blushed from the long training session they'd just finished.

"You hungry, mate?" Noah asked as they walked back to the castle. Hogwarts was magnificent at night. Students too often failed to notice because they spent most evenings inside the castle, particularly during cold winter nights. Leaving the warm and cozy Gryffindor Common Room to go out for practice always had its bright side, James thought as he watched the thousands of lights sparkling in the black of that winter evening.

They'd been practicing as often as they could since he'd promised Noah to help him get on the Quidditch team the next year. They had a lot to study for the upcoming O.W.L.s and James had actual Quidditch practice with the House Team, but they'd head to the pitch several times a week - when James wasn't too exhausted from his own training and there weren't other teams on the pitch.

The air carried the promise of more snow, but James really hoped it wouldn't interfere with Quidditch. Playing under the snow could be very unpleasant - and his mom would worry to death if he did. She'd never disapproved of him playing Quidditch, but when that meant he could end up sick, James was sure she'd rather lock him in a room until the danger was gone.

"I'm starving."

"Yeah, me too. Today was... intense."

James glanced at his best friend as he rubbed his chin in deep thought. "You're getting better, you know."

"Really?"

"Really." James smiled at him, "If you keep on like this, by the end of the year you'll be better than half the people on the Quidditch team - me excluded, obviously."

Noah rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

"Hurry up!" James said in his cheery I-am-your-coach voice. "Dinner time is almost over!"

"My legs are screaming for me to stop." Noah whined, "It's like I've been run over by a buldozer."

"A what?"

"Muggle stuff. You should take that Muggle Studies class too, I swear..."

"Hush and walk. We need to get there right now or we'll end up eating chips and Chocolate Frogs."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

James gave him a look.

"What?" Noah shrugged, "Besides, there's always the kitchens."

James shook his head, "You know using the Invisibility Cloak is not an option right now. It's Alan's evening to have it, and the odds of getting caught are too high without it."

"So? You've never been scared of getting caught!"

"That was before I became a Prefect, you idiot! What do you think they'd say if they caught me sneaking food out of the kitchens?"

"Oh, come on! They's say you're the first Prefect that breaks the rules - the beginnig of a revolution."

James shook his head. "At least tomorrow's the last day of classes. I can't wait for the holidays to start."

"Me too, so I won't have to see your face every morning."

James winked in response. "Yeah, I know I'm too handsome to handle."

Noah ignored his last statement. "And I'm going to eat so much food that when we come back at Hogwarts I won't be able to sit on my broom."

James snorted. "If that's what you want. I bet you can't even make pumpkin juice."