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It was currently the last day of their school term, meaning a train ride would be on their agenda shortly.
James sat by himself, waiting for his friends and dear girlfriend to arrive, so they could board the train back to London.
Fiddling with his fingers, his mind wandered to the events of the past two months.
He noticed how the leaves started to change colours, from green, to orange, to brown and how they fell from the trees, slowly and then all at once. He noticed how the days got longer and the nights got shorter, as the colder weather approached them.
He the changes in Hogwarts, and how whispers consumed the hall as a whole, whenever he and Lily would enter a room.
Tension with the Marauders had occurred, leaving the boys silent in the best of situations, although unaware of what had occurred, he tried his best to ignore it.
Iris wasn't the same, and neither was their friendship, there was no doubt about it.
She was the shell of a girl who once thrived and blossomed in the darkest of times, leaving beauty in its place.
Her hair was flat, tangled, uncared for, and her eyes were dull, darker than the deepest parts of the ocean. Her smile didn't radiate, in fact, she barely smiled at all, and, if she did, James knew it was all for show, being nothing more than an optical illusion.
The girl didn't speak much anymore either, leaving short phrases in the spaces where her passionate rants used to be.
The boy was unaware, as he usually was, to the impact he caused in her life.
Iris tried her hardest, to stay afloat, to stop the darkness from consuming her, but what she said that day was true, she didn't want to stand on her own to feet again, she wasn't made for the endurance, to push past the cold, that froze her blood in her veins.
She was kind, and pure, but even then, only the strongest of them all, were made to step out of the storm and into a flourishing meadow.
Time lapsed as students grouped into their favoured compartments on the very well known train.
Iris sat in a different compartment this time, not wanting to be near that which hurt her most. She was aware of how horrible these holidays would be, trying to avoid not only Petunia, but also Lily.
James sat surrounded by his friends, who seemed to be warmer today than they usually were, although the compartment was still far too empty for his liking.
A craving for chocolate had lead both adolescence in the direction of the food cart.
One came from the north, the other from the south. They both walked towards each other, completely unaware of who they would be running into.
Her head was down, strawberry blonde hair fanning her face, protecting her from the outside world.
His mind was swirling, flickering like a raging fire, pressing memories leaving him in autopilot.
In little time at all, the pair had collided, smacking directly into each other, the clattering of limbs made the situation more awkward, as he tried to stabilise the smaller girl's frame.
"Iris," James breathed, feeling a swirling sensation in his stomach, as they words hit his lips.
Silence was the only response the girl had to offer, pursing her lips, trying to look past him.
"Iris, please," He started, trying to focus her attention onto him, "Why have you been ignoring me? One morning you were there, and the next you were gone."
Sweets formed on the boys forehead, as his words became more desperate, the boy wanting to cling to anything he could obtain from her.
Her strawberry blonde hair hid her from him well, as she bit her lip. It was odd, all the girl craved was him, but at this very moment in time, she wished he was obsolete, something of the past.
James grabbed the girl's jaw, brushing her hair away with his thumb, wanting nothing more than for her to look at him with those forest green eyes that reminded him of better days.
"Iris, tell me." He demanded, trying to sound firm, despite the trembling of his hands.
"I had to get away," She whispered, gripping at his wrist, wanting nothing more than to be away from his touch, "I couldn't bare it anymore."
"What are you on about? You're not making sense," the boy hissed, keeping a steady grasp on her face.
"I had so much hope, James," Iris' eyes began to water, "I prayed every night that this wouldn't happen, that everything would be alright."
"Prayed for what?" James asked, softening his tone drastically, wiping a stray tear from her face, "What did you pray for, Iris?"
"That it wouldn't be her." The girl was whimpering, "That's why I left, because hope is a fickle thing."
"I love you, James, and it wasn't enough." The girl finally pulled away from him, her face reddening due to her state.
"I loved you, and it destroyed me inside, day by day, piece by piece." James looked at her in shock, regret fermenting in his bones, "You told me, I was the prettiest flower in the garden, that I was your favourite girl. It was clearly a lie, because at the end of the day, you did what everyone else did, they chose Lily."
"Iris, I-" James began, only to be cut off as she pushed on his chest harshly, lashing out.
The boy dragged her into the empty compartment beside them, wanting to shield her from the prying, judgemental eyes of the Hogwarts students.
"I don't want to be here, not with you." She whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself like a shield.
"Iris, please, we can talk about this." James begged, his heart tearing itself apart, at her state.
"You threw me away like a dirty sickle, just to pick up a shiny galleon, James." Iris hissed, "What else is there to say?"
James stayed silent, waiting for what else she had in store for him.
"You're a genius, you know that, right?" She asked, painfully, "Dating the girl who treated you like dirt, and made you cry so many times because you're more insecure than you let on?"
James clenched his fists, unsure of how to deal with her sudden surge of emotions, scared of what to do or say next.
"Please, tell me how I can fix this?" He asked meekly, wanting nothing more than to hold her, "I can fix this."
"There's nothing you can do, James." Tears filled in the eyes of both of them, "Not right now, at least.
"It's foolish, you know." Iris laughed humourlessly, "I actually thought that you may have loved me back, how silly of me."
James went to hold her, having no words to say. The only urge he had was to hold what he had broke until it all managed to repair itself, like a child playing with play dough.
"Please, don't touch me," The girl said, stepping away from the boy, "Don't come near me."
"Iris, please." The boy called, but it was too late, the beautiful storm was gone, leaving the boy to drown in the situation.
James made one promise, and it was to protect her from harm, how coincidental that he was the one to break it.
