Losing Game/// James Potter

Chapter 12

"But, Elsie...you don't see the way he looks at you, he-," his sentence was cut off by the girl with tears running down her face. "I don't see how he looks at me, but I see how he looks at her! And, that's enough to know that I will never be good enough to be with him," she snapped through stifled tears.

"But you're not even giving your self a chance! Why do you do that? Why don't you let yourself have a chance at happiness for once?" he asked stepping towards the shaking girl, wiping her tear-stained cheeks with his thumbs.

"Because...loving him is a losing game. Either way, I'm the one getting hurt," Elsie whispered, falling into the arms of the boy in front of her.

"I'm not giving up on you, Elsie Figg. If anyone in this world deserves a happy ending, it's you," Remus sighed, holding Elsie while she cried.

"I love you, Remmy," she smiled through sad eyes at the boy. "Read to me?"

"Of course," he said while guiding the girl to his bed. For the second time this week, Elsie and Remus snuggled up under the sheets and fell asleep to a story being told.

Peter and Sirius decided to split up to try and find James faster, seeing as they left the Marauders map up in their room during the chaos that had ensued. Sirius had already checked James' dorm, the astronomy tower, and the Great Hall. He was now strolling the seventh floor, in hopes of casually passing by James. He stopped and paced in a corridor on the left side of the castle while thinking, I need a place where that bloody idiot is hiding.

After his third round of pacing, a large door appeared in front of him. The room of requirement...

"Well, bloody hell why didn't I think of this a hour ago?" he grumbled to himself while walking through the door.

While walking in, he looked around and studied his surroundings. There were a bunch of shelves that held different types of books, there were Wizard Chest games lying around, a table full of snacks, and a large purple couch right in the middle of the room that a curly haired boy just so happened to be sitting on.

"There you are...," Sirius spoke out loud, making James flinch at his thoughts being interrupted. He walked over and plopped right down next to James.

"So, you want to tell me what's going through that head of yours?" Sirius initiated a conversation between the two.

"I...," James stopped at a lack of words to express his thoughts. "I have no bloody clue, Pads," he frustratedly said as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Well, I could imagine," Sirius chuckled, "It's not everyday that the girl you love goes on a date with another guy and you kiss your best friend within an hour of each other." James let out a small laugh at the words Sirius had said.

Sirius continued speaking, "But Prongs, why'd you kiss Elsie?" He stared at James with genuine curiosity on his face.

"I-I really don't know...," James' voice trailed off as he began to think about what happened.

James truly had no clue why he did that. One moment he was beyond mad and frustrated with himself, but then he saw her look at him, and he couldn't help himself. He didn't want Elsie to see him like that again. He didn't want her to have to take care of him again. It just made him feel more pathetic. So, in that split second he decided he was going to kiss her, just so she wouldn't think he was pathetic.

"I guess I just didn't want her to pity me," he commented after thinking about everything. "Stupid wasn't it?"

"It did make you look a bit mental," Sirius joked once again trying to make James laugh, in which he succeeded, "But you do realize none of us pity you, right? We all just want to help you and be there for you."