the girlfriend experience ━━ james potter ¹

xxi. fan clubs and murder plots

     "Hey, Lily," James' whisper broke Bronwyn's concentration. He was stretching across the table to the redhead opposite him, lightly tapping her on her arm with his quill.

     Bronwyn opted to listen in ─ mainly because she found it impossible not to – but also because this interaction may be telling as to how Lily acts around James when they're alone.

     James then pointed at his History of Magic textbook and muttered something Bronwyn couldn't make out. Lily smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

     They spoke quietly for the next few minutes, James no doubt hanging on to Lily's every word as if he actually cared about the subject ─ the subject Lily Evans no longer even studied, by the way. Bronwyn managed to focus on her own homework somewhat during that time, but it was just as James and Lily's conversation was coming to a close, that Bronwyn was caught up, once again, in their hushed words.

     ". . . the Subcommittee of Sardinian Sorcerers were the ones mostly in attendance at the 1709 Convention, but it's assumed that many of the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards also contributed."

     "And this was the one where it's still unknown what was debated right?" James asked.

     "Correct," Lily grinned, before brushing his arm lightly. "See? You've got it."

     Bronwyn tried not to wince. She tried to ignore it and move on, she really did. But part of her couldn't just sit there and mind her business.

     "Sorry," she leaned in closer to James, "I don't want to overstep, but that's not quite right." Bronwyn did indeed grimace, sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere that followed. James sent Bronwyn a glare and Lily's brows were furrowing. Whether that was because she was confused about which part of what she had said was wrong or whether that was because she didn't know why Bronwyn was getting involved, Bronwyn hadn't figured out.

     "It was the 1289 Convention with the Sardinians as the event was international, not the 1709 one," Bronwyn said, causing Lily to look away and rethink her previous words. "The 1709 Convention debated dragon breeding."

     Bronwyn always liked being right. She wasn't the biggest fan of stepping on other people's toes and she didn't dislike Lily Evans but James was being told the wrong information and as someone whose parents wanted her to ace every subject (even the ones she eventually dropped . . .), Bronwyn knew her facts.

     "Right," Lily croaked.

     "But you don't do History, anymore, right Lily?" Bronwyn frantically added. The guilt of correcting the ginger girl was starting to set in and the Slytherin wanted to stop it before it came flooding in.

     "Exactly," Lily agreed, seeming relieved by the statement.

     Bronwyn turned to James, "All good then?"

     James nodded, his lips pouted. He felt at a crossroads. He came here to spend time with Lily but with Bronwyn close by. It was a jealousy ploy. He couldn't be mad at Bronwyn. Future James would be glad she was here in this moment when he didn't get this wrong on his exam.

     Unsure of what else to do, James smiled sheepishly and bowed his head low, scribbling something illegible down on his page so it looked like he was taking all of this in with great diligence.

     A short time passed. Dorcas had left to get an early dinner and James had since desperately turned to Mary to use her Potions essay to "definitely not copy". She wasn't very happy about it but she knew better than to try and deny James what he wanted.

     It was then that the two girls James had encountered earlier, stumbled upon the group when they were passing by their table. Although, stumbled upon probably isn't the right phrasing as, when they did indeed pass, arms interlocked, expressions giddy, the two girls gushed a flirtatious, "Hi, James" as they passed.