Harry Potter One Shots (Vol. I)

Mending the Heart (James Sirius Potter)

Scoffing and rolling my eyes, I returned to the patrol routes. "I have very high standards, thank you very much."

"And I think you'll find I fit into those high standards."

Pointedly ignoring him, I managed to find the gap in the patrol routes and reshuffled some of the plans around to make sure it wasn't missed. When I was done, I double and triple checked that every part of the castle was now covered. Thankfully it all was and I straightened my spine, stretching my back. My eyes drifted across the table to James who had fallen silent and was once more looking over the patrols. Not that he was paying them much attention. He sat with his head propped up on his closed fist and looked briefly over each route.

I took the chance to study him, just a little. He really was extremely handsome, and probably too friendly. James was able to get along with everyone, and it was something I admired about him - he was even able to get along with me when I was at my prickliest. He always made it so difficult. Likely feeling my eyes on him again, James lifted his head and met my eyes. I tried my best to keep myself from flushing at being caught again and berated myself for not having more composure, for being caught out by him twice now. I really should have been better at this by now.

To make matters worse, James straightened up confidently, that ridiculous smile making its way back onto his face. He said, "You know if you're not going to take my word for it, ask Forester."

"What exactly am I supposed to ask Forester?"

"She'll attest that I'm a man that fits your standards." Shaking my head incredulously, I listened as he insisted, "I mean, what are best friends for, if not to vouch for you when you're trying to win over women."

"Win over women huh?"

"Well, woman - a woman." He offered me another charming grin, "So what about it?"

Ignoring his question, I asked, "So, I'll bite, what exactly does Forester get out of your arrangement then?"

"Just you wait, I'll have her with Teddy even if it's the last thing I do."

Intrigued, I checked I hadn't heard wrong, "Teddy Lupin? The same Teddy Lupin who was in his last year when we started?"

"That's the one." Even when I continued to look dubiously, James just nodded sagely, "Trust me, it'll happen. Although that'll be a bit of a long game, it'll happen."

**********

With all the extra responsibility added to my plate, it was sometimes difficult to find time to work on the assignments and essays that still needed my attention. I absolutely could not let my grades fail because of all the new responsibilities that I'd taken on for myself. But somehow, I was managing it. Even if it was a struggle, I was managing to find time to settle in the library to get my work done. Most people knew not to bug me, and I took the table that was isolated in the corner of the library to further cement that fact.

Which was why, when someone did sit across from me at the table, I had a handful of people in mind for who it could be. I waited until I reached the end of my sentence to cast a curious glance upwards and was unsurprised to find James sitting across from me.

"You can carry on," he said, drumming his hands in a silent rhythm against the tabletop as he waited. "I'll wait until you reach a natural pause. I know exactly what you're like when someone disturbs you."

I opened my mouth to rebut his words, but who was I kidding? He of all people did know how snappy I could get if I was interrupted partway through my train of thought. James had only needed to be chewed out once to learn his lesson. And I had, of course, apologised to him once I'd come to my senses. But the lesson stuck. So I said nothing and instead returned to my essay, picking up where I had left off and carrying on with my paragraph. When I reached the end of it, I grabbed a spare piece of paper and jotted down where my thoughts were leading and what I planned for the upcoming paragraphs and stuck the spare piece to the corner of my parchment with a murmured sticking spell. If I waited until I'd reached a natural rut in my essay, James would be waiting for ages.