bruises - james potter

𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆

"James, I was joking-"

"No."

Sirius shook his head as he watched James carry Cassie in the direction that Euphemia, Fleamont and Regulus has gone, letting out little laughs as he heard parts of their conversation:

"You need to do more squats." Cassie mumbled, but still loud enough for James to hear.

"What on earth are you going on about, love?"

"You have a flat arse,"

James let out a loud laugh as Cassie hit his butt.

"See, flat."

Cassie said something else, lifting her head up to say it.

But she soon trailed off, her eyes widening as she caught sight of something in the crowd. Her face became as white as a sheet and she seemed to be at a loss for words.

"James." She said, she sounded both frightened and stressed. "Put me down."

James, who noticed how she didn't seem to be joking anymore, quickly placed her down and stood in front of her, his eyebrows creased in worry.

"Cass, what's up-" Cassie looked up at him, before she shook her head.

She walked around him, before she pushed past other people.

James and Sirius shared a look before the two of them quickly followed after her, using her dark hair as an indictor of where she was in the thick crowds of people.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Cassie's voice cut through the air like knives, the venom in her tone as evident as the new scars that littered her soft skin.

James and Sirius shared another look, realising that they had to get to Cassie before something happened to her.

They pushed past a few more people, before they were standing right in front of the Hogwarts Express, however, there was a small crowd of people forming around an area of the train.

The two of them quickly rushed over to the crowd, James standing on his tip-toes to try and see over their heads, but he heard who she was talking to before he saw them.

"We are here to bring you home."

He'd heard Walburga and Orion speak a few times before, but never had he heard their voices sound as full of hatred as they did at that moment.

James pushed past a few people, not even bothering to apologise as at that moment he needed to get to Cassie before any of them did something they would soon come to regret.

But, if Cassie beats them up, I'm cheering her on. James thought to himself as he caught sight of Cassie, the broken look on her face was enough to make his heart ache.

"You what?" She asked, her fingers twitching besides her as she desperately wanted to reach for her wand.

"We are here to bring you home, Cassiopeia."

James was now standing behind Cassie, he saw Sirius standing the other side of his and Cassie's parents, his eyes wide as he saw the people who had ruined so much of his and his siblings lives before they even realised what living meant.

"Home?" She repeated, all anger had left her voice and now it just sounded empty and emotionless.

She sounded just as broken as she felt on the inside.

She knew that when she went to the Potters everything wouldn't be perfect the moment she stepped into their house. She always knew that. But she at least expected to feel whole again not long after, as if the Potters were the glue she needed to place the pieces of her life back together.