Forever and a Day ~ James Potter

A Very Big Surprise

Chapter Forty-Seven

17:58

Over the course of the next few hours following Rosie's less-than-positive start to the school year, the sixth year students received at least a dozen scrolls of homework from each of their professors combined, and that was only for three subjects. Lily and Mary had undoubtedly been correct; there was absolutely no way they would be able to spend their study periods lazing about in the common room, taking extra long breaks from their lessons.

Rosie was wolfing down her cherry cobbler after finishing a small portion of dinner in the Great Hall, desperate to think of a way to get away from her friends without them asking too many questions. She'd already made something up about seeing McGonagall to get them to leave her alone at lunchtime so that she could retrieve the broom and send a brief letter of explanation to the Potters about her brother.

Though, she could barely stomach what she was eating due to the bundle of nerves that had been building in her abdomen ever since, hoping that Charles wouldn't end up embarrassing himself in front of half of the school and praying that James wouldn't get angry with her for helping to steal one of his brooms, all of which he was extremely precious about. After only a few mouthfuls, she threw down her spoon and sighed heavily, grabbing her school bag from underneath her feet and standing up, though, of course, she had to do this just as the four Marauders arrived.

"Where're you in a hurry to?" Remus asked her, chuckling and clapping a hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving any further. "I don't smell that bad, do I?"

"No, it's nothing... I just... erm- I need to go," she said, looking towards the hall doors distractedly before dashing out of the room without saying another word to her friends.

Sirius sighed, looking after her, almost knocking over two second years in her hurry as he sat down next to Lily, "Honestly, is she still annoyed over Potions? I didn't think she was so bothered about being old Sluggy's favourite trophy."

"I really don't know," Lily frowned, placing down her own fork and looking towards the doors as well, just as the ends of Rosie's hair could be seen swishing around a corner. "She's been acting really skittish like that all day. Even when you lot weren't around to remind her about this morning."

"Ooh," Mary gasped suddenly, gaining the others' attention. "I wonder if someone really has asked her to the Quidditch trials again? This is exactly what she did last time when Prescott sent her that note."

"Oh, yeah, that would make sense," Alice nodded, watching everyone else begin to agree with her before glancing around at James, who was now frowning into his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"No way," he scoffed, running a hand through his hair and straightening the glasses on his face, clenching his jaw a little.

"Come to think of it... you've been acting weird as well," Marlene told him with narrowed eyes, pointing her goblet at him in accusation. "I've not heard you try to ask her out once so far this year."

"So," James shrugged with a defensive tone, his heartbeat quickening a little as he prepared to abstain from telling them what had happened over the holidays – lying was one of his only self-proclaimed weaknesses. "What's the problem? She's not complaining... is she?"

"Do you fancy someone else?" Mary asked him bluntly, ignoring his questions and crossing her arms on the table, tilting her head curiously at him.

"No!" he said very loudly, knowing that his strange attitude would probably end with the others believing the opposite of whatever he told them. "Don't be stupid! I just thought it would be nice of me if I didn't pester her as much this year with N.E.W.Ts coming up and all that."