𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗹𝘆, james potter

˗ˋ 09

"I don't really know currently, because James didn't seem to be doing so good at the start of the holidays. I only broke up with him at the end of the year, yet he seems to have got over me pretty quickly after meeting Tiger." Lily went back to her book, feeling like Marlene and Lydia were studying her.

"I don't think he will have." Marlene said. "I still feel bad about Sirius, but Luke and I talked yesterday and he seems nice. But I still feel torn up about it. It's just a matter whether you decide to show everyone that you feel horrible or bottle it up."

"And in James's case, he has had the thought of it reduced by Tiger. But I could bet twenty galleons that he is still feeling horrible, but he's bottled it up." Lydia said. "But this doesn't answer my question."

"I don't want to be overbearing." Lily said. "I have a feeling that Tiger would want to talk to me about it at some point, as some sort of blessing thing? I don't want them to feel like their pressured by my behaviour. Their relationship has nothing to do with me."

"You're right, it doesn't. But it still affects you. And we both know that they'll want you to be comfortable." Lydia continued, and Marlene shot her a look. "Ok, I'll stop."

"I'll be fine, really. Me and James were together for under a year. I wanted to break up with him." Lily said, "I think I need to go to bed."

The other two agreed, then looked down at the girl laid across them. Lily and Marlene managed to push her legs off of them and slide out. But Lydia could only move so far without Tiger's head tilting back and her making a almost disgusted noise in her sleep.

"Is anyone willing to look after a sleeping Tiger?" Marlene wasn't exactly asking anyone in particular, but looked around them to see if there was anyone nearby.

"Remus, would you mind helping Lydia out?" Lily asked, and Remus walked over, looking down at his purple-haired cousin.

"I can try.. but I don't think I could lift her. I'm not feeling too good right now." Remus said, avoiding any eyesn and focusing on his cousin. "Could one of you guys maybe help?" He looked over at his three best friends, two of which looked directly at James.

"Fine." James agreed, getting up and walking over to the sofa, bending down and scooping up the girl, who barely even stirred as the action was taking place. "How long has she been sleeping?"

"Pretty much since you guys got back. She looked peaceful. And she doesn't get a lot of sleep at night. You can hear her tossing and turning and then going through to the bathroom at all hours." Lydia shrugged.

"I think she has nightmares." Marlene said gently, when James looked over. "We can't figure out what, but we think it's the same. It seems though, that she can sleep peacefully in this environment."

"She never used to have nightmares. I only noticed a little bit when she first got back over the summer." Remus said. "You guys can go, we'll watch her."

And the boys did just that, moving from their chairs to the sofa, where Tiger curled up in a corner of the couch. But it seemed to get later and later, and she didn't wake up.

It was close to midnight when the boys decided that they maybe needed to go to bed and to sleep themselves. But there was one problem, Tiger was still fast asleep.

"We can't take her up to the girls dorm." Peter said, and they all nodded, recounting the time that Sirius had attempted to go up there to speak to a girl and appeared, sliding down just moments later.

"I'll stay with her, make sure the fire stays lit, get a couple of blankets." James said, and the other three nodded, knowing that he probably wouldn't take any other answer.

And so, it was just James and a exhausted Tiger in the common room. There was only the warm light of the fire, casting a amber glow across the room.

It had always felt like the sort of room James would have liked to have in his house, homey and warm and comfortable. Opening one of the baskets which contained various knitted blankets, James carefully covered Tiger's curled up body in one, making sure that her bare legs were covered.

He couldn't help but grin when he saw she was wearing mismatched socks - one in the scarlett and gold stripes of Gryffindor, and the other plain white with cats on. It seemed so like her.

And as he himself settled on the sofa, the thought of her in the red summer dress flooded his mind. And then, the dark blue one that she wore to the garden party.

James had no idea what it was about those dresses, but everything seemed so ethereal, so magical, whenever she wore one.

It really seemed to him that Tiger Howell was a beautiful fairytale - which he had learnt about from Peter and Remus. Like a princess.

It took time, but eventually, James fell asleep right beside her, and it didn't seem as if Tiger would have any nightmares that night, somehow completely aware of James's presence next to her.

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