Catharsis | James Sirius Potter

[ 08; james & lucy ]

LISTEN, THIS COULD NOT BE THE WORST IDEA THEY'D EVER HAD.
Hogwarts had given them more time for stupid ideas, but this most certainly was not a good idea, either. Not even close.

Dominique had properly said it, earlier at practice, "So, you thought to yourself, what's the most packed day? And so, you chose today!"

Lucy agreed; James disagreed. Fred agreed as well, but anybody who knew anything knew he was just saying so because the mere thought of getting to the Ravenclaw common room to Aurora had him on cloud nine.

"Should've at least brought edibles!" Collete Blanc protested, but because of her grin, it hardly looked like she was complaining, "I'm joking! Totally joking! Unless...?"

"Are you serious? For Quidditch practice? And– Collete, we're fourteen..." Halle Grey chuckled, with a clear hint of worry. James, against himself, had to mumble "my middle name is Sirius".

"You're all babies, shouldn't be talking about that at all," Hector Holland, who happened to be the only seventh year in the team, said.

"Didn't realise we had a fossil among us." Lucy smiled sarcastically.

"Holland, you're like, what five feet eight? You've no right calling anyone a baby." James scoffed, frankly amused by the audacity.

"It's hard to grow sometimes," Fred muttered to himself, for he still found the comments funny.

All things considered, Collete Blanc had an interesting idea, Lucy decided, making a mental note of it to revisit later.

***

The team had all taken hurried showers the moment practice was over. Though she had better things to focus on, Lucy couldn't not think that it was awfully convenient that the changing rooms were a gender neutral spot, unguarded by professors. It was merely a curious fact to know (a curious fact that made her more aware of the red stretch marks running along her waist).

"Lucy. I gotta- oh. Oh! Oh, I thought- I oh- 'M not looking. Not looking." James had walked in without further thought when she was just missing her trousers, and naturally, turned away almost immediately.

"I don't care if you were." Lucy sent him a weird look. Coming from most people, that would probably be the normal reaction. But James was not most people. "You've seen me in knickers before."

"I've seen– no, I haven't! We're not thirteen anymore, it's not– it's not y'know..." He continued to mumble under his breath, which Lucy didn't hear, and the words became quieter and quieter, until they were just urgent thoughts. Think of– of– water! James, think of water, right? The calm water flowing through the Black Lake. Calm, refereshing. Just water. The same damned, stupidly lucky water that got to touch Lucy's skin just minutes ago– no! No! Godric's sake, what would she say if she heard?! What if she knew Occlumency? What if Thomas knew Occlumency?! He'd slice my head clean off, I wouldn't even know, just– that's it! Thomas! Think of Thomas! Thomas's hands, and arms, and neck– it works!

"We're not children anymore?" Lucy guessed, hint of a troublesome smirk on her face after she pulled the jeans up, "Well, if those are your boundaries, then I get it. You can look now, by the way."

"It's not that, it's— well, it is me– and you. And it's– I don't..."

Her eyebrows furrowed in suspicious confusion, picking up their brooms that rested against the wall. "Alright, Potter?" With raised eyebrows, she offered James his.