✓ | MISCHIEF MANAGED | James Potter V.S. Sirius Black

22 : Vanilla Twilight

     James clicked his tongue, unable to contain his grin. "My, my, you have quite the mouth on you, Valentine. Do you kiss boys with that? Or is it just me?"

     "In your dreams, Potter."

     "Yes, you are in my dreams." he winked. "And we do a lot more than just kiss." He started to tick off with his fingers, "Let's see, there's traveling, pranking Snivellus, running away together—"

     An annoyed cover-up look flashed across her face. "Why are you following me?"

     James pretended to look innocent. "Me? Following you? In your dreams, Valentine," he paused to reconsider this before smugly asking, "I am in your dreams, aren't I?"

     James watched in amusement as Catherine scrunched her nose at him and surveyed some more magical items all the while pretending to ignore him when he collided against someone.

     "Ow!" He wasn't able to catch Maisie who fell on her bottom, her Spectrespecs slipping out of her hands.

     Catherine remembered her as the president of the I Heart James Potter Fanclub. Trying not to be too obvious, she narrowed her eyes at Maisie who seemed starstruck when James lent her a hand. Next, she focused her hard stare at James who grinned at Maisie.

     "Alright there, Maisie?" James asked with that mischievous smile of his that sent a ping to every girl's heart.

     Maisie's eyes were wide as she drank in the situation. She nodded in a daze.

     James sneaked a peak at Catherine, trying to fight off a smile upon seeing her mimicking his words with a huff. He focused his attention back to Maisie, handing her the Spectrespecs he picked up from the ground. "You ought to be careful next time. The next person who bumps into you might not be as kind or dashing as I am."

     James heard Catherine snort.

     "I will," Maisie replied. "I best be off now."

     James reached up to pat Maisie's head. "Okay, bye bye, you take care now."

     It took her a lot of willpower to move away from James before waving goodbye to Catherine.

When James turned back to Catherine, he saw her crossing her arms and staring hard at the shelf of Spectrespecs. "Would you like me to help you buy one?"

     She glared at him and stuck her tongue out. "Why don't you help Maisie with your kind and oh-so dashing self?"

     James coughed to cover his laugh as he said softly to her, "Now why would I go for Maisie when I have a thing for someone already? She's this beautiful girl who thinks she knows what I want and don't want, and who pretends not to want me but actually does."

     Catherine flushed red as she ducked her head away from James. "Stop it, we both know you don't actually want me," she said it lightly. She knew James truly does — she just said it as a side comment. As she made a move to grab a pair of Spectrespecs, a young boy came darting passed the aisle, roughly hitting the shelf that was about to fall on Catherine.

     Without a second thought, James grabbed Catherine and yanked her to where he was safely standing. He spun around so that she was on the other side, cradling her head against his chest as someone behind him incanted a spell to keep the shelf levitating.

     Catherine was breathing rather heavily, blinking rapidly as she peered up at James who was staring down at her in a concerned manner. He cupped her cheeks, tilting her head to inspect for any sign of scratches or something that showed her being hurt. Catherine's heart swelled as James smiled down gently at her. "I told you," he said quietly, "it's just you. You and only you."