INSTEAD, james potter [1]

Chapter Fifty-Two

Ever since Lyra Black had turned eleven and went off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she didn't like the summer holidays. While she liked spending time with her family and getting a break from schoolwork, she prefered being at school, with her friends. 

Now seventeen and a half, Lyra had reached the first summer in years when she didn't feel that way. She loved this holiday, and she never wanted it to end. But time passed too quickly, as it always does when one is happy. 

The days were spent with either her sister and the Tonks family, or the Potter Manor. James and Sirius were just as annoying as ever, but they were lucky she loved them enough to find it endearing. 

But during one of the hottest days of the summer of 1977, James and Sirius had finally accepted Lyra's pleads for them to go to a nearby lake, where she could sunbathe and get a tan and they could fool around in the water. 

Lyra leaned back on a towel they had brought with them, wearing only her bikini top and denim shorts along with a black pair of shades to protect her eyes from the burning sun. She smiled softly, watching James and Sirius splash around in the water. 

She never wanted this summer to end. If she had to, she would look through every book in the library to find a way to freeze time, to relive these days over and over for the rest of her hopefully long life. 

Because the moment September 1st arrived, she would step onto Platform 9 3/4 for the last time, and she would be forced to pretend that she wasn't in love, like Sirius was no longer her family. 

"Lyra!" a voice brought her out of her mind. She smiled brightly at James, who was waving at her as Sirius rolled his eyes, faking a gag at their relationship. "Come on! Get in the water already!"

She shook her head, because she felt really calm and comfortable where she was, and she wasn't warm enough to feel the urge to cool off. "I'm good, thanks! Maybe in a few minutes, though!"

From the distance, she couldn't see her boyfriend's face, but she was sure he was rolling his eyes with the biggest, stupidest grin on his face. It was a very normal sight, because it was just who James was. 

But he quickly climbed out of the water, leaving Sirius to have to entertain himself. The Black boy would have followed, but he had already spent way too much time third-wheeling the couple, and he wasn't going to do it any more than he had to. 

Lyra giggled as he made his way towards her, squinting because he didn't have his glasses on. They were safe by her side, as she was scared he was going to lose them in the water, because that was definitely something he would do. 

He frowned as he scoured the ground next to her for his glasses, but he couldn't see, obviously. She smiled and held them out, and he grasped for them and quickly put them over his nose, once again rolling his eyes at her thinking it was funny he couldn't see them. 

"Oh, yeah, make fun of the almost blind man. Hilarious," James quipped sarcastically, throwing himself down on the towel next to her, still soaking wet from his swim, running his hands through his dark hair. 

"Aw, you know I don't mean it like that," the blonde responded, but her teasing smile was enough to let him know that she was far from sincere. "Alright, maybe a little. You're just so adorable when you're confused."

He knew they were just having fun, so he allowed himself to smile slightly. But, he still needed some payback. "Ah, shut up!"

Lyra shrieked loudly as he jumped her, his naked torso rubbing off on her, where she was still very dry, not having dipped more than a toe in the water. "James, get off me! You're wet, stop it, come on!"