Lions Inside¹ | James Potter

twenty-eight

But after getting her ass kicked, Dumbledore showed mercy and called it quits. "Thank you," Andrea panted, causing Dumbledore to chuckle.

He walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I think I've seen this particular sweet in your daily life the last two years. And it seems to let Mister Potter off the hook more times than not." Dumbledore returned, holding up a cherry lollipop to Andrea.

She grinned and quickly unwrapped the sucker, sticking it in her mouth. "Thanks, Dumbles. I'll see you next week." Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Miss Russo. Until then."

Returning to her Common Room Andrea found Sirius, Peter and Remus sprawled out over their favourite spot in front of the fire. "So, olive oil is made from olives, right?" Andrea heard Sirius ask Remus, grinning at him even though he refused to look up from his book. 

"Yes," Remus answered absentmindedly, trying to turn the page of his book one-handed. "Then baby oil-"

"STOP," Remus warned him. Andrea sniggered and sat down in one of the available armchairs, telling them about her newest lesson with Dumbledore. 

As their evening went on, Andrea and Sirius finally managed to finish all of their Animagus potions. Now all they needed to wait for was a thunderstorm or until they felt they were ready.

Peter did not feel like he was ready. And the others wanted to make sure he felt safe and comfortable, so they weren't forcing him into anything. "We can keep the potions until we think we're ready," Andrea reassured Peter when they were done celebrating the completion of their work. 

Stuffing even more chocolate in his mouth Peter nodded nervously. Andrea smiled down at the finished potions. This was the best early birthday present she could've gotten. 

Dumbledore let her use wandless magic today, they had finally completed their Animagus potions, Sirius had only complained twice about the Bob Marley record playing in the background and her zit had finally disappeared.

As Andrea and Remus got into a deep discussion about her ugly map drawing, a gloomy-looking James entered through the Portrait Hole and joined his friends. Instead of taking one of the many available seats, he slumped on top of Andrea, making her groan in surprise. 

He slung his legs over one armrest and rested his head against the other, looking up at the ceiling. "Why doesn't she like me?" he whined.

"Because you smell," Andrea answered, effectively shoving him off so he fell to the floor with an 'oomph'.

"Rude," he mumbled, sitting down beside Sirius on the floor as the others laughed at him. "Why won't Evans go out with me?" he grumbled. 

Andrea sighed and closed her book about tracking spells, looking at her old friend. "Here's a question, have you ever had an actual conversation with her?" 

All four boys turned to her. "What do you mean? I talk to her every day?" 

She huffed and stood from her seat. "No, you don't. You talk at her, not to her. Have you ever talked to her, without asking her out, without flirting? Just a conversation, as you do to all your other friends."

"What more is there to know? I love her and she's amazing!" Andrea couldn't stop the laugh that came out at that. "Please. You're in love with the idea of her. You don't even know her." James furrowed his brows, getting annoyed at Andrea's attitude. "Why are you being like this?"

Andrea threw her arms up in exasperation. "Because I've seen you flirt with no other girl than her for the past two years, yet she calls you a womanizer. I've seen you dedicate so much time and effort thinking about her, yet she gives you nothing back. I see a little piece of you die and your confidence chipped away every time she rejects you and I'm sick of it! Why give this girl the power to make you feel like this when she has done nothing to deserve it?" Andrea took a deep breath.