Just You Wait | James Sirius Potter (On Hiatus)

Chapter 2: Aaron Burr, Sir

We land directly in front of the entrance to platform 9 ¾, and I am instantly run over by a luggage trolley. I am pushed right through the wall and land flat on my back on the other side.

I sit on the ground, the wind completely knocked out of me, as a hand comes into focus. I look up and my friend, James Sirius Potter, is standing over me with a grin on his face and a concerned look in his eyes.

"You ok, Maia?" he asks with a grin still tugging at his lips.

I decide to mess with him a bit. I hold my wrist and wince, drawing in a breath through my teeth with a hiss.

"I'm ok," I say weakly, fighting to conceal a devious grin, "just my wrist...." I trail off.

In seconds, James' devious grin wipes off his face and he crouches beside me to look at my "injured" wrist. I hold it at a weird angle (thank Godric for double joints) and put a pained expression on my face. He gently holds my forearm and uses his fingers to gently press my wrist back into a normal position. I gasp in what looks like pain, yank my hand back, and slap him in the face. Don't worry, I don't hit him too hard, but hard enough for it to sting for a few seconds.

"James Sirius Potter I swear if you EVER scare me like that again so help me you will BEG for death."

He stares at me for a second, the shock in his face evident to the world, including our parents who have watched this entire scene from one of the columns. My dad looks relieved that I'm fine, and Mrs. Potter is laughing hysterically at her son's expression. Lily, Albus, and Teddy are snickering at the sheer surprise on James' face.

"You.....you weren't......you were faking?" he manages to sputter out. His face turns as red as his mum's hair, and I smirk in the way I'm told my dad used to.

"Always so eloquent, Sir Potter," I joke, trying to milk the joke while I still could.

His eyes get a mischievous glint in them once the shock has subsided, and I carefully begin to inch away from him, but not fast enough. His hands swiftly go to my sides and he begins to tickle me mercilessly.

I let out a shriek and begin laughing hysterically as I scream at James to stop. He is laughing too, and tears begin to run down my face from all the laughter.

The train whistle blows, and I realize that I'm lying on the floor of the platform and getting weird looks from the people who pass by. My face is burning as I stand up and collect my stuff. Dad is saying something to mum which I hear the tail end of as I walk over to give them a parting hug before I go to board the train.

".....boy hating phase, it'll be him. I'm willing to bet on it. Trust me on this one, Dora." says Dad, with what mum refers to as the classic "Marauder's smirk".

"10 galleons it's before year five," mum says without batting an eye, her hair flushing a bright orange.

"Deal. Only because I don't think he'll grow a pair and ask before sixth year." dad says, and my parents shake hands with mock serious expressions on their faces.

It is at this point that I walk over. Both my parents pull me into a hug, and wish me good luck, as the train blows its whistle again.

I lug my trunk towards the open doors of the train and drag it down the hall to a random compartment. Putting my trunk away, I sit down and wait for James or any of my other friends to come and find me. As I'm staring into space, I see some words carved into the wall next to the sea:. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. I am sitting in the Marauder's compartment. I grin and trace the names with my finger, though my precious silence does not last long.

"SORRY I'M LATE" James Potter bursts into the compartment, out of breath, "I went to the wrong compartment."

I roll my eyes, at the girl standing behind him, Alice Longbottom, my longtime best friend. I motion for her to join us in the compartment and pat the seat next to me. She slips in and puts her trunk away before sitting down.

"Oh Alice, I don't think you've met James. James, this is Alice, my best friend, Alice, this is James, my favorite pain in the arse." I introduce them quickly.

"Oi!" exclaims James, "First of all, I thought I was your best friend. Second of all, I may be a pain in the arse, but I'm a HANDSOME pain in the arse," he boasts, running his hand through his hair in a way that I suppose was meant to be attractive.

"Nope, sorry Potter," teases Alice, "I'm her best friend. Better luck next time." She winks, and James turns towards me with a look of complete and utter betrayal.

I just turn and blow him a kiss off my middle finger. My dad did it once to Uncle Sirius for making too many puns. Surprisingly, James' ears turn red at my action. I raise an eyebrow at him in question, but he won't look at me.

He shrugs, and his blush deepens as the carriage falls into a comfortable silence. My eyes flutter closed and I lean into the window, staring at the Scottish moors as the Hogwarts Express flies past.