Harry Potter One Shots (Vol. I)

In a New Light (James Sirius Potter)

Finally, Potter turned to Aurora and most of the hall held their breath. "Nolan, go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Aurora paused as if thinking her answer through and that was enough to have Potter looking hopeful. I shook my head in disbelief, she was just being deliberately cruel now. No doubt she knew what she was doing and was doing it simply because he'd looked to Maeve first before her. She was getting his hopes up on purpose, so she could dash them moments later.

And sure enough, she said a clear, "No," which had Maeve tittering like a bloody buffoon.

Just like that, the entire hall was filled with the sounds of people talking as they all turned back to their breakfast as if nothing happened in the first place. Very few people kept their eyes on Potter and I was one of them. Aurora turned away from him, completely missing the way his shoulder sunk a little before he forced himself to shrug away the effect of her rejection.

Gathering himself, Potter turned to retreat to his seat when his eyes scanned the Ravenclaw table and settled on me. Deciding to abandon his space at the Gryffindor table, Potter settled himself beside me and I offered him a conciliatory slice of toast off from my plate.

"It must have looked really bad if you're giving me food, Howe," he tried to joke with a smile and I decided to play along, knowing it was what he'd have wanted.

"I don't know how you put up with it," I confessed with a sigh, not knowing what else to do but begin plating some food on his plate. He watched me with a soft smile, giving me all his attention and completely missing the fact that Aurora suddenly couldn't take her eyes off of him.

My friends, already used to my rather strange friendship with him, didn't bother questioning it and instead handed him the ketchup when he asked for it.

"Why do you do it to yourself?" I asked, pouring a glass of orange juice which he stole for himself with a smile.

"It's a Potter thing," he said eventually. "You wouldn't understand."

And I didn't try to. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at James when he went to hand me back my glass of half-drunk orange juice.

"No thanks," I said with a shake of my head, "I don't want your germs."

"You should feel privileged to be given the chance," he insisted, laughing when I rolled my eyes. "Let me walk you to Transfiguration after?"

**********

I had been simply minding my own business on my way to the library when James dropped into step beside me, clearly planning to ruin my plan of being productive for once. When I turned to look at him, he simply smiled innocently at me and I sighed.

"What do you want now Potter?" I asked as he held the library door open for me.

He frowned, watching as I brushed past him. "You're making it sound like we're not friends and that I just bug you."

"Well," I said over my shoulder, seeing that he was following after me, "maybe I'd think we were friends if you didn't always approach me to fulfil your own agenda?"

He raised a hand to his chest, gasping dramatically. "It's like I've been stabbed right through the heart, Howe! How could you say something so cruel?"

"Would you stop making a scene?" I hissed, finding a table and settling down to begin to try and do some work. But with Potter around, I didn't see that happening.

He grinned, not even trying to apologise and sat down across from me, planting his feet on the table. Unsurprisingly he didn't even attempt to get his work out. Or rather, he hadn't brought anything with him.