( chapter ninety-one )
FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH.
Valentine's Day.
Or, as Cassie liked to call it, 'the Day for idiots in love to celebrate it.'
That was before she too became an idiot in love.
Which was the reason that Cassie was currently sitting in front of a mirror as Lily did her hair - Marlene had started on it, but was quickly pushed to the side when they saw that a part of Cassie's hair had begun to smoke.
Cassie had no idea what Lily was doing to her hair, and she'd rather not ask. She had really just wanted to brush it, but all three of the other girls had said a firm no.
"I don't understand this." Cassie spoke up, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face as Lily clipped it there for a moment.
"Understand what?" Alice called out from the bathroom.
Alice had a date with Frank later that day, he was taking her on a walk around the Black lake before he took her to a picnic on the other side of it - to say the girl was excited would be an understatement.
"The whole Valentine's day thing. I get it's a day to celebrate love, but it makes people who are single feel like shit half the time, and what's so special about a celebrating the love you and someone else have when half the world celebrate on the same day?"
There was silence in the room for a few moments.
"I- what?" Marlene finally asked from where she was laying on her bed, throwing a balled up pair of socks into the air and catching them aimlessly.
Alice poked her head around the bathroom door, showing her face with half done makeup, and a smudge of lipstick on her lips.
Lily just slowly shook her head as she continued to work on Cassie's hair.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, I love James, but Valentine's day, I just don't get it."
The three girls nodded as they urged for Cassie to go on.
"I don't know what you're all waiting for, that's it. I have nothing more to say on the matter."
Alice shrugged as she hid back behind the bathroom door and began to do her makeup again, Lily just let out a small giggle as she pinned back another part of Cassie's hair.
Marlene sat up, holding the pair of socks in her hand.
"You, stop talking about something, what on Earth happened?"
･・･☽✥☾･・･
James ran a hand through his hair as he waited outside the Great Hall for Cassie to meet him.
Students passed him as they entered the great hall for their dinner, a few girls and the odd boy stared at him as they passed, a hint of jealousy flashing through their eyes.
James was wearing a white polo shirt that was now slightly too small for him, meaning it clung to his toned arms and pressed slightly against his chest. The top two buttons were undone and the shirt was ironed so well that there wasn't a crease in sight.
His shirt was tucked into a pair of black trousers, they too were slightly small on him, but seeing as they were black you could hardly see that they were unless you looked too close.
James wasn't sure if he had just grown a lot recently, or if his clothes had just shrunk in the wash.
It was possible to have been a mixture of both.
James looked up at the sound of more footsteps approaching, but he let out a small sigh when he saw it was just Lily and Marlene.
"Well, I know we're not the best of friends Potter, but we could have gotten a better welcome than that." Marlene joked, the two girls not stopping to talk to him.
"She'll be down in a minute, she saw Crookshanks and walked off."
James let out a small chuckle as he shook his head, running his hand through his hair again.
Lily and Marlene walked into the Great Hall, leaving James alone yet again.
It was a few minutes before Cassie walked down the Hall, Crookshanks in her arms.
James would have thought it would've looked like something out of one of the Muggle movies he and Sirius had seen, girl walks towards boy and it seems as if the world stops.
But it wasn't, but to James it was even more perfect.
Cassie's hair, which has now grown to around the middle of her back, was tied up into a half-up half-down style, the part that was tied up was twisted a few times to create a coil, a silver pin decorated in white gems was holding it in place. The part that wasn't tied up was curled at the bottom, the curls getting bigger as they went up.
She was wearing a dark-blue summer dress, it was dotted with white daisy. The skirt of the dress was flowing and moved with the air as she walked. It reached just above her knees and was trimmed with a thin white lace. The top of the dress had navy buttons down the middle, the top two were un-done. The sleeves of the dress were puffed sleeves, lace around the rim of them.
James was sure that she had a warming charm on, as otherwise he was sure she would freeze to death.
As she got closer, James noticed that she was wearing the ring and the anklet that he had gotten her. She was also wearing the Stag earrings, his smile grew.
James didn't think there was a word to describe how pretty he thought she looked.
"I know Crookshanks, but it's not my fault. No, I didn't kno-" Cassie stopped talking as she saw James, a large grin making its way onto her face.
"Hi." She said, wincing slightly as Crookshanks dig his claws into her arms.
"Hi."
"Right, two things to say before you say anything else - first of all, I know we agreed no gifts, but I got you one anyways."
James chuckled as he raised his arm to show a small gift bag hanging down by his wrist.
"I got you one too."
"Why did we think that rule would be a good idea?" Cassie asked, letting out a small laugh as James shrugged his shoulders.
"Secondly, Crookshanks needs to come with us."
James raised his eyebrows, urging Cassie to continue.
"See, all the other cats have gone on dates, leaving him all alone," Cassie then moved so that she had covered both of the cats ears.
"I think it's because he looks like the door was slammed in his face." She then uncovered his ears as James let out a loud laugh, walking over to the two of them.
He pressed a kiss to Cassie's temple, his lips lingering there for a moment, before he scratched Crookshanks behind the ears, the cat not waiting a moment to swipe at him.
･・･☽✥☾･・･
"I know it's not perfect, but-"
"Sirius, shut up before you start."
Sirius rubbed the back of his neck as she looked up at Remus, who was looking down at him with a large grin on his face.
Remus then turned to state around the room in awe. Sirius had decorated a small room in the Room of Requirement, so that they could have a romantic evening without anyone seeing them - they were still yet to tell their friends.
There was a small fireplace in the wall opposite the door, the fire roared and its shadow danced along the walls as it heated up the room just the right amount; a small vase of red tulips was resting on a mantle piece above them, not a single petal had begun to wilt.
There was a sofa in front of the fire, it looked like the comfiest sofa Remus had ever seen, the cushions looked worn down, but still like they were very padded. There were small tassels on some pillows that were placed on top, a blanket rested nearby on the floor.
Fairy lights were strung up around the edges of the room, where the ceiling met the wall. They twinkled a warm colour, creating a soft glow in the room that faded the closer to the floor they got.
Remus knew it was perfect, albeit there were a few parts of the lights that looked as if they were going to fall down at any moment, and there was a small pool of water around the vase where he had split some water.
But all these little imperfections made it even more perfect.
"It's perfect for two reasons, because you made it and because you're here with me."
"Stop being all sweet, I don't know if I should be vomit or kiss you."
"Whatever you do, don't do both."
Sirius let out a chuckle as he took a step towards Remus, wrapping his arms around the taller boys neck, while Remus placed his hands on Sirius' waist.
"You're cute," Sirius whispered, leaning in towards Remus. "Has anyone ever told you that before?"
Remus nodded his head, but barely as he too meant forwards.
"Some idiot mentioned it a few times,"
Their lips met in the middle.
･・･☽✥☾･・･
Cassie and James walked hand in hand, their fingers intwined tightly and James' thumb once again absentmindedly running over the back of Cassie's hand.
Crookshanks followed behind the couple, straying every now and again to look at something he had either heard or smelt.
They were walking around the edge of the forbidden forrest, the noises coming from inside were blocked by the sound of the couple as they laughed at nothing in particular and talked loudly about nothing and everything.
The sun had set over half an hour ago, but the world was still slightly illuminated by the hundreds of stars that twinkled in the clear sky. The moon - almost full, was bright above them, it's silver rays cutting through the dark like knives.
Their path was rather dark, Cassie having almost fell in the lake more times than she would like to admit - which only made James roar with laughter as she steadied her step and grabbed onto his arm.
There were a few flowers sprouting up on the side of the path that rested besides the forest, somehow surviving in the cold that seemed as if it never wanted to leave.
James and Cassie had spent the first half of their date at the Kitchens, which was rather chaotic seeing as it was dinner time for Hogwarts - James had asked for the same house-elf that had served them on their first date, and she was more than happy to help them again.
The elf - who they later learned was called Tinky - had told Cassie that James had been in the kitchens at all hours in the mornings for the past few days helping to get things ready for when he brought Cassie down.
Cassie smiled widely at the elf as she watched James turn a bright shade of red from the corner of her eye.
They had sat in the kitchens, their own peace in the chaos around them, eating the two bowls of chicken pie that the elves had made - James had gloated that he made the mash potato, and then continued to boast about how it was homemade.
Cassie didn't know that you could apparently buy store bought mash, so thought for a moment, that he had grown his own potatoes.
James laughed as he told her that you could buy mash potatoes in a box.
After they had finished off their time in the kitchens with a smoothie, the smoothie that Kreacher made Cassie all those years ago.
Cassie had thought the whole thing was brilliant.
"If me and Remus were both drowning, who would you save?"
"What the actual fuck Cass?" James asked with a laugh as he turned so that he was looking down at Cassie, her eyes meeting his, as they continued to walk.
Cassie grinned as she turned back to face in front of her, not wanting to actually fall in the lake this time.
"Just answer the question Bambi."
James shook his head for a moment, before he replied.
"I have no clue, both of you?"
"No." Cassie replied, her tone rather firm and reminding James of Sirius when he didn't get his own way.
"If you could only save one of us."
James let out another short chuckle.
"I have a feeling that if I don't answer it, then you'll actually push Remus into the lake just to see."
"Answer the question so you won't find out." Cassie said, looking up at James for a split second, the smile on her face telling James that she was only joking.
"I mean, I'd probably save Remus because he can't swim that well and I know that you're a great swimmer."
Cassie furrowed her eyebrows as she looked back up at James, her eyes shining in the moonlight.
"Okay. . . say I was holding an anchor? Who would you save them?"
James shook his head again as he pressed a quick kiss to the girls nose before he let out a laugh.
Crookshanks meowed from behind them.
"Why don't you just let go of the anchor?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Cassie who responded without hesitation.
"It's a family heirloom."
It was silent between the two for a beat before they both burst out laughing, neither of them really understanding the conversation that they had just had.
"What goes on in your mind?"
"Apart from the fucked up part, I have no idea."
The two settled into a comfortable silence as they continued to walk, still hand in hand.
The sound of leaves rustling in the small wind; the sound of small paws pattering on the floor as they ran away or towards something; the sound of the owls that were hiding up high in the trees and the sound of the waves of the lake hitting the shore softly were the only sounds for a few minutes.
Soon, they reached a small clearing in the trees with a tree that had been knocked down lay on its side in the centre of it.
Cassie grinned as she pulled James over the to tree, sitting down on it and pulling him down to do the same.
Crookshanks followed them and rested by Cassie's feet, curling into a small ball and wrapping his tail around himself.
They pair had walked around the lake just enough for Hogwarts to be opposite them, silhouetted against the dark sky apart from the windows from which a soft orange glow was admitted. The large moon was climbing up from behind the castle, showing off the towers and turrets the higher it climbed. The hills around it looked taller than ever from where James and Cassie were sat, all of them merging together into one mass of land where you couldn't tell where one hill started and another ended.
Cassie thought it was beautiful, and James did too, but he thought Cassie was still so much prettier.
"I love you." He said as the girl rested her head on his shoulder, James wasted no time in wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him.
"I love you more."
James pressed another kiss to Cassie's forehead as the two sat in silence for a few moments.
"Thank you." Cassie randomly spoke up, causing James to furrow his eyebrows as he loved so that he was face to face with the girl.
"For what?"
"For everything." Cassie's eyes were shining with tears that were threatening to spill over the edge.
James gently grabbed her cheeks in his hands and wiped away the one stray tear that had fell.
"You don't need to thank me, love." He whispered, leaning slightly closer to her.
"Having you by my side is thanks enough."
"You're such a sap." Cassie laughed, as she kissed him.
The spark that they had when they kissed wasn't gone, and Cassie didn't ever want it to leave.
It was something that she knew she would always cherish, the feeling she got when she kissed James, as it was the first time that she had felt loved by someone who wasn't Sirius or Regulus.
Even if her and James broke up, she would always be thankful for him as he pulled her out a place that she didn't think she could escape.
And for that she would be externally thankful to him.
When the two pulled apart, their lips were slightly swollen and their cheeks flushed a soft pink.
"Oh!" Cassie exclaimed, causing Crookshanks to jump slightly and look at her with an angry expression - James didn't know that cats could show expression on their face but Crookshanks proved him wrong.
"Gifts." Cassie smiled as she reached into a pocket on her dress and pulled out a box that was around the size of her palm.
It was wrapped in Christmas themed wrapping paper, a snowy background with pine-trees and deer dotted around it and it had a navy bow placed on top.
Cassie then pulled out a card, handing both things to James with a goofy grin on her face.
James returned her smile as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, thin parcel, it was wrapped in a light pink tissue paper and had a heart sticker keeping the two sides down.
He, too, also pulled a card out of his pocket.
He passed them to Cassie who waited.
"Go on," James urged, "Open them."
Cassie looked at the gift in her hand, and then looked up.
"But I wanted you to open yours first."
James let out a slight chuckle as he nodded, picking up the box.
"Okay, then you open yours."
"Well I thought that was obvious-"
"I'll take it back."
"You can't do that Bambi."
James raised his eyebrow as Cassie let out a laugh, he admired the way her eyes shon as she laughed for a second, before he began to open his gift.
He only felt his grin grow as he pulled the gift from its wrappings.
"No way." James whispered as he pulled a small glass box from inside the paper, inside the box was a battered down, old snitch that had a few minuscule dents in it and half a dozen scratches.
"Yes way." Cassie responded, her excitement only growing as James pulled the box closer to his eyes to get a better look at the snitch inside.
"Is it really-?"
"The one from the match, yes, it is."
James looked up at Cassie and blinked.
"You're unbelievable."
Cassie smiled wider, if possible.
She had gotten James the snitch that Adrien Lynch's, the famous seeker using it to train nearly all the time. Lynch was James' favourite Quidditch player, and although they didn't play the same place in the sport, he looked up to the man with so much admiration.
"You're fucking brilliant." Cassie bounced up and down on her seat.
"It's in Christmas wrapping because it was meant to be your Christmas present, but I forgot to give them to you guys so I just kept it for today."
James let out a breathless laugh, staring at the snitch for a few moments more before he looked back at Cassie.
"Your turn now, open yours."
Cassie nodded as she picked up the gift James had given her and carefully unwrapped the tissue paper on top of it, placing the sticker on James' shirt.
Inside the paper was a picture frame, the picture frame itself was rather simple, just a shiny, black frame that had sharp corners at the edges.
It was the picture inside that made Cassie's heart beat a lot heavier.
It was a picture of her and James that she didn't know had been taken, it was from the side and even then you could still see how much love there was between the pair.
It had been taken when all of them had gone to the zoo for the day and it was when James and Cassie had stood in front of the flamingo enclosure, the birds were moving behind them, some of them flapping their wings while others just stood there and moved their heads slightly.
Cassie and James were laughing at each other in the picture and she was holding onto his arm as she tried not to fall over. The two of them had been trying to copy the way the flamingos were standing, but had failed and nearly ended up face first on the ground.
"Lily took it, I had no idea she had done so before she came up to me with it, she said she was going to give you a copy but I asked for both so that I could give you one for Valentine's day. I have the other one on my wall at home."
"I love it, so much." Cassie said as she looked up from the photo, tears once again brimming in her eyes for reasons she didn't understand.
"So fucking much."
･・･☽✥☾･・･
THIS CHAPTER IS 3500 WORDS
FOR NO REASON LMAO-
ANYWAYS, I
FOUND IT SO CUTEEE
AND THERE. WAS.
SO. MUCH. JASSIE.
I DONT THINK ILL EVER
GET OVER HOW MUCH I LOVE
THEM ISTG
ANYWAYS, I HOPE YOU
ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER,
AS USUAL PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU
THOUGHT AND WHAT YOU WANT
TO SEE NEXT
lots of love
- Emily xx