ADDICTED | j.p x oc

32

"You thought wrong," she replied, tone tinged with light humour.

***

After not being able to find Sirius and Remus, El and James spent the day with Peter in the Gryffindor common room. The two boys brainstorming ways to make Snape and Malfoy cry while El drank firewhiskey, laughing at the ideas they'd come up with.

"Why don't you kiss Lily? That might make Snivellus cry," Peter suggested, oblivious to the fact that El had sat up straighter in her seat, waiting for James' response with a poorly masked glare.

James was quick to shake his head, laughing awkwardly, "I don't think thats a good idea."

"Then what?" Peter sighed, "Not being funny but we've thought of every possible thing we could do to make them cry, and you don't like any of them!"

"That's because i don't fancy seeing them dangling naked off the astronomy tower!" the bespectacled boy leant back in his seat, angling his head towards the ceiling in irritation.

"Moony might," Peter grumbled.

James' head snapped towards the blonde boy with his jaw clenched, "Pete, a word?" he said with a nod towards the staircase up to the dorms.

Standing awkwardly, Peter followed James up the stairs, leaving El alone and she wasted no time in lying across the sofa where they'd previously been seated,

When they returned a few moments later, James gave El a fake smile, ignoring Peters frigid movements. El furrowed her eyebrows as a question, but the head boy was quick to shake his head and not give an answer.

"Right... dinner?" James suggested, hoping to rid the room of its uncomfortable aura.

The other two agreed, standing up to head towards the portrait hole.

***

After dinner, El and James had patrols as they always did. Following their usual routine, conversing lightly as they walked.

The corridors were quiet, as they always were, no one tended to be out on a sunday.

"I have a question for you," James began, his voice bouncing off the stone walls.

"Ask away," she said carelessly, signalling with her hands.

The pair were taking their time tonight, walking lazily as they were in no hurry to get back.

"Why were you always so rude to people? I'm not saying that to be mean, i genuinely want to know,"

Almost choking on the sip of wine, El looked at him with wide eyes, "That's a bit deep for a Sunday evening."

His eyes didn't leave her face, noting how she was avoiding eye contact, something she always did when things got awkward. "I'm serious though— don't even think about it," he cut her off before she say the joke he knew she was about to make.

"I don't do it deliberately. It's just better to punch than be punched, i guess," she took an even larger gulp of wine, not liking the turn that the conversation that taken.

"You've been nicer to me recently, since Christmas," James added.

"Well, i hate you marginally less than a lot of people now," Eleanor bashed her elbow against his body.

Laughing, James threw his arm over her shoulder, she glared at him but did nothing to remove his arm.

***