{CHAPTER SEVENTEEN}
"You're not the only one needing reassurance tonight, James."
Christmas balls are some of the most memorable events for some, while for others their least.
They're certainly not for everyone and for many reasons. The clothes. The dancing. The food. The music. Anything and everything.
It can be a lot, entirely overwhelming, and for some a ball is something they despise the idea of. Harlow was one of these people. She still didn't get the whole scenario fully. After Remus' dress comment she did have the odd flashback of spinning while laughing. But that was all.
What baffled her, was how singular her opinion seemed to be. Everyone was ecstatic and spent their time searching for dates and outfits rather than things Harlow deemed valuable, like her training.
Or her time in the library with the self proclaimed Marauders, not that she would ever tell them that.
After her little hissy-fit, Harlow was determined to keep her icy act up. But the boys melted her once again. They themselves got warm hearts when they witnessed first hand the protectiveness she holds for them.
It didn't last long at all, mostly due Sirius. After having missed their morning meet-ups in the library, Sirius made sure to catch Harlow when she left her room. She was surprised when all he did was remind her to write down her measurements, then left. It was entirely out of character. He didn't bug her in anyway way or feel the need to hug her, something she hadn't done since the first time on the Quidditch pitch.
Later that night, Harlow ventured up to the boys dormitory and politely knocked on their door. She had only been up to their room once, when they were hungover and in need of help. The boys happily welcomed her in and were delighted when she proposed hanging out for the night.
At the end of the night she remembered to give Sirius her measurements and she felt compelled to give him a hug, which resulted in her giving them all a hug.
"I've went with this for as long as I can, but this is just too weird." Harlow muttered and pulled herself out of James grasp before he could pass her off to Peter again, whom she had already hugged three time.
The four boys paused for a second and then the sound of rambunctious laughter echoed throughout the room. They were doubled over in laughter while Harlow stood in the centre of them, judging them silently in he mind.
"Godric, I can't believe you went with it!" James wheezed out as he literally slapped his knee. He used the edge of the closest bed to stabilise himself as they continued to cackle on. "You-you just kept going between us."
Harlow's jaw dropped as she looked between the boys accusingly. They planned it. And she was stupid enough to let it go on for so long. "Well I-well I didn't want to- ugh, forget it. I'm in need of a shower now to wash off you lot. So thanks for that!" She moodily scoffed and stalked straight over to the door with a huff.
"Wait Harlow!" Remus called out to her, catching her attention.
Peter snickered to himself, "Hug goodbye?" He cheekily joked, a wide shit-eating grin centred on his face, one that only grew when he witnessed the grumpy look on Harlow's face.
"Oh piss off!" Harlow spat, her voice faltering slightly when she heard how high it had gone. Something the boys found hilarious. Obviously Harlow wasn't pleased at all.
With the ball being on the last day of school before the holiday most students made sure to pack a little early, so to not squander the time they have to get ready for the annual ball. For such a clever girl, Harlow never caught onto the idea, but lucky for her all she planned to do, was to get changed. Changed in her own room, and by herself. She didn't want any part in the girlie get ready together that Lily had invited her to in their dorm.
No desire at all.
But she did desire to see the boys once she was ready.
Harlow was ready in a flash compared to most. She took a long shower before even thinking of her next steps. Her mind was still filled with dread towards the ball and for some odd reasons showers or the pouring rain always helped to ease her complex mind. Nothing else worked. She couldn't get drunk or high. She had tried multiple times, but alas they had no effect on her.
Stepping out the shower and going back to her room she was quick to use a heating charm that she could use to dry her hair. Water droplets falling from her hair and onto the ground making it slippery was one of her pet peeves. Once her hair was dry Harlow started randomly forming plaits in the wavy hair. She had no clue what she was aiming for, but she was attempting to go with the flow. Something she doesn't do often. After being satisfied with the number of plaits Harlow moved on to getting dressed.
She had to thank Sirius, at the very least once more.
The suit was all white, a slight plunging v-shape that had two golden buttons to clasp shut, the trousers fell loosely to the floor but were tailored to be straight legged. It was simple and she could fight in it. Something she confirmed within the first second by defeating an invisible enemy in her room.
But then she got stumped, she had no idea what shoes to wear.
She could wear her boots but they were dirty from trudging through the muddy school grounds. Or perhaps she could wear her plain black pumps, which were extremely flimsy.
So she turned to the Marauders, she had no clue why. But, they were her only hope. So once again she was patiently waiting after knocking on their door in the hallways of the boys tower. The door slowly swung open revealing a smiling James, his massive smile that he always had was what she saw first every time she looked at him.
That's why it took her a second to notice his eyes were not on her face. James must have felt her realise because his eyes went wide and he gulped slowly before returning his eyes to her face. He sent her an apologetic smile, "Sorry bout that." He muttered as he rubbed his neck awkwardly.
Harlow watched in amusement and let out a soft laugh. "It's fine." She dismissed peering past his shoulder, "Is everyone decent?"
James paused for a second recalling if he had seen the boys in their suits. "Eh, yeah we are. And you look gorgeous by the way." He complimented and welcomed her into the room.
"You look very handsome, James."
"Thanks." He mumbled, as light blush coating his cheeks.
Harlow walked fully into their dorm and found Remus and Peter lounging around the room. Remus was reading his newest book and Peter was throwing sweets into the air and trying to catch them with his mouth, meaning he was getting sugar all over his shirt. Sirius was fixing his hair in one of the mirrors and getting audibly frustrated by it.
"Which shoes?" Harlow asked, the sound of her dropping her shoes on the floor caught their attention. "They're both shit, but It's one or the other."
"You can't wear them boots with the suit, so the flats." Sirius answered quickly only taking a short glance at Harlow before returning to sorting his hair in the mirror. "Godric." He whispered to himself as his mind flashed back to what he just saw second prior. And he couldn't resist, he had to look again.
Harlow nodded her head in fake understanding, "Thanks." She muttered and shoved her feet into the pumps. In doing so she missed the stare coming from Sirius. He looked over his shoulder at her and his eyes latched dreamily onto her. She truly looked stunning. Better yet captivating.
"Your staring." Remus muttered to him and clapped him on the back to break him out of his trance. Sirius cleared his throat and refocused on his hair. He couldn't help himself and didn't even realise that he kept flicking his eye to look at her through the mirror as she chatted away with the rest of them. Sirius mentally scolded himself and visibly shook it, all he could think was; what the hell is wrong with me?
"Right I'm ready." Sirius declared after finally feeling content with how his hair was looking. He turned around and flourished it dramatically. "What do ya think?" He asked while wiggling his eyebrows.
"I think that you are ten minutes late to pick up you date." Remus simply said after looking at the watch on his wrist. He sent Sirius a pointed look, already readying the lecture for later on about how he was sometimes careless with girls feelings.
"Who is your date anyway?" Peter questioned and racked his brain through the girl Sirius' recently flirted with, there were many.
"Louise Simons." Sirius replied and made his way out of the door and paused beside Harlow. "You look great, by the way." He told her just before continuing out the door.
Harlow didn't even get the chance to return the compliment, due to him leaving so quickly, leaving her to just shrug it off. "Peter don't you have to go and find Mia." She reminded the boy.
Peter leaped up from the bed, "I should head now, I don't want to not be there when she's ready." He agreed and brought Harlow into a brief hug, "Sorry." He mumbled as he let go and pressed his lips into a thin line.
"Just go." Harlow waved him off and felt her mood improve as she watched Peter skip with joy and excitement out of the room. He really was a little weirdo. In the best way.
"It was nice, you helping him." Remus told her as he himself also exited to pick up his date leaving just Harlow and James in the dorm.
"Well... I feel pathetic." James drawled as he sunk down onto his bed defeatedly. He covered his face in his hands to hide his emotions from Harlow. "I fucking hate this!"
"James?" Harlow muttered in slight shock as she watched him fall apart on his bed. She could hear his soft sniffles and could see his shoulder shake slowly. "Do you want me to get one of the boys? I'm sure they won't mind-"
"NO!" He yelled and rapidly pushed himself up to a seating position. "No I-I don't want to bother them or ruin their night." James continued and tried to wipe his tears away. "I'm fine anyway."
"Well I'm not good at comforting people." Harlow mumbled as she made her way over to his bed where he was sitting and peering sadly up at her.
"Just go to the ball." James spoke before his cries started up again. He tried to hide it in his pillow that he held in his hands but failed miserably.
Harlow continued walking until she was next to his bed. She lowered herself down to sit next to him making him look up when he felt the bed dip. "Seriously I'm fine." He attempted to insist but just by taking one look at his red and splotchy face would tell a whole another story, betraying his words.
"You're an incredibly bad liar." Harlow acknowledged as she scooted closer to him.
"Wow thanks." James uttered sarcastically as he sent her a glare. "You're doing a fab job at cheering me up."
Harlow raised and eyebrow and pressed her lips together. "Well, I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." She stated and used her hand to gesture James to talk. "Come on."
James sat silent for a moment and took a few deep breathes. "All of them have dates except me. And I know it's stupid but- but why not me? Like am I not good enough?" He ranted, whimpering away and only stopping when he ran out of breath.
"James I'm a very observant person, so trust me when I say loads of girl would have loved to go to the ball with you. But since you're stuck on Lily, none of them get the chance." Harlow stated simply and moved so her arm wrapped around his shoulders. "And beside you can't let girls determine your worth. You are a kind and caring person. And incredibly patient. You've managed to keep trying with me even though I can be the most stubborn and infuriating person."
James laughed softly at her comments of herself and let his head drop onto her shoulder. "You can be." He murmured in agreement, a small hint of a smile painting his face.
"Well you're pretty stubborn when it comes down to Lily. I know you'll hate what I have to say but it's not healthy what you're doing. You can't be allowing how you feel about yourself to turn negative because of her words." Harlow maturely spoke and allowed her hand to rub his back. She could feel his breath hitch at her words and knew without looking a massive frown sat on his face. "James I know that you claim that you love her, but love shouldn't make you feel like this constantly."
"How would you know?" James spat bitterly, feeling slightly attacked.
"Trust me when I say I've read a lot. It was in this therapy type book." Harlow spoke, despite all her effort to stay kind and unaffected by his lashing out, didn't entirely manage it. While her voice stayed calm and caring her hand squeezed his shoulder just a teeny bit too hard. "I'm not saying you don't love her. What I'm saying is that it's not healthy and it's affecting you. If Lily is going to like you, she will like you for you. So stop with the acts and just be yourself. Hundreds of girls love the real and cheeky you."
"That's not true." James grumbled as he dropped his head forward.
Harlow groaned quietly to herself, he really was being stubborn. And she was running out of things to say. Harlow stood up and positioned herself to stand in front of him. She used her hands to move his head so he was looking at her. "It's true, and... I would love to be your date."
"I thought you didn't believe in the whole girls have to have dates." James replied as he chewed on his bottom lips in thought.
"I do believe that, and I don't have to. I want to go to the stupid ball with you." Harlow insisted and moved her hands so they were there for him to use to pull himself up, which he did.
James let out a deep breath that he was holding and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Can you tell I've been crying?"
"Come here." Harlow murmurs and gestures for him to stand in front of her. James was taller than Harlow, he was a pretty tall boy, but not by a drastic amount. Harlow herself was around 5'9, due to her circumstances at the prime development time her height was rather surprising. The malnutrition affected her body in a whole including her height, which only makes her wonder how tall she would have been with proper care and love.
James stood still as Harlow sorted him out. She started with flattening out his shirt and his suit jacket. Then moved onto tightening his tie after he loosened it to give himself more air. Harlow finally moved onto his hair and face. She ran her fingers through the mess of a hair he sported. He had pulled at it and created a few knots so Harlow picked them apart and then wiped his face dry and made sure their was no signs of crying.
"All ready." She muttered to him as she removed her hands from his face, her eyes returned to his and they connected together.
"You know, back in first year..." James started with a fond smile on his face as he let his mind cast back, "I actually believed you and Lily were sisters so I thought Remus and I would become brothers when I would eventually marry Lily and he would marry you."
Harlow tilted her head to the side, her eyes still locked with his. "You're brothers anyway, even back in first year. I've never witnessed a group of people who care as much for each other as you guys do."
James lips flicker up into a wide grin, "You know you're included in that."
"I know." Harlow nodded before clearing her throat, "We should get going. The ball has probably already started." And with a mutter of agreement from James the two of them exited the boys dorm.
By the time the two of them had arrived, the ball had been going on for around fifteen minutes. They stood at the side of the open doors scanning the room for their friends. James spotted them and let out an "Ah ha" before he started to enter the room. Harlow quickly grabbed his hand with her and James turned back to her with a questioning look.
"You're not the only one needing reassurance tonight, James." Harlow shrugged and felt instant relief fill her body when James' hand squeezed hers in comfort. The two of them shared a nod of their heads and slipped into the Great Hall.
The ball was still pretty slow starting with the children just chatting away with their friends and having drinks and snacks or the very few were dancing. The music in the room was quiet, coming from the orchestra as the students waited for whatever wizard band was due to play.
As James gently pulled her arm in the direction of the rest of The Marauders and their accompanying dates, Harlow couldn't help but marvel at the decorations in the hall. At first she admired the majestic and pretty look it had but it quickly faded when she took notice of all the snow coating the room, that was no doubt magically induced to never melt.
It stopped being wonderful and unique. It became familiar and reminded her of Siberia, Russia. The blistering cold winters that lasted an eternity. To the majority of the students the snow excited them. Rather than reminding them of their own blood colouring the white snow, it reminded them of going sledging and having snowball fights with friends and family.
It was making Harlow feel uncomfortable and inevitably put a damper on her night. There was no way she could ignore it, the snow was everywhere.
Her hand being squeezed brought her out of her thought and back to James. "Beautiful right?" He uttered as his eyes scanned the room.
"Right." Harlow replied monotonely, and started walking once more.
When they finally managed to make it over to them they got quite a few questions on why they were late, questions they simply brushed off. Sirius wasn't the only one that realised that the late pair were holding hands, but he for some reason was the most affected by it. The sight made his stomach feel weird.
Mia, Peter's date moved to stand next to Harlow. Close enough so she didn't have to speak loudly, "Peter mentioned you helped him build up the courage to ask me, so thank you." She whispered and flashed Harlow a grateful smile.
"It's no problem." Harlow replied and sent Peter a wink. Harlow had noticed he was watching the interaction with anticipation, clearly worrying that Mia was trying to get out of the situation. So with a little reassurance his smile returned.
From the corner of her eye, Harlow could see Louise approaching her. She was still incredibly suspicious of the girl. After the first morning in the library Louise had tried, on numerous occasions, to talk to her. It was irritating and unusual. But just as Louise was about to say something Dumbledore called out to all the students in the room and started up his extremely dull speech.
Dumbledore blabbered on for a good five minutes about the true meaning of Christmas, spending time with your family, which was like a kick to the face for Harlow and Sirius. Harlow waited patiently for him to shut up and just muted his words in her head. After all she had no need for the crap that Dumbledore spewed to enter her mind.
The end of his speech was a lot more exciting however. He finished of by introducing the nights band- The Weird Sisters. The students went wild when the band took their place on the stage and they all rushed forward and onto the dance floor. The younger kids kept to the back of the crowd to avoid getting crushed while the older ones migrated to the front. The majority of students were happily dancing away while the others, mostly Slytherins, kept their distance and just chatted with their friends around the outskirts of the hall.
Harlow found herself bring hauled into the crowd by a laughing James, and she let it happen. Harlow allowed him to spin her around and dance with her surrounded by the rest of the Marauders and their dates. Eyes kept moving to the pair of them as they danced but in the moment it wasn't noticeable. James and Harlow were having way to much fun to focus on what was going on around them like they usually would.
It startled Harlow to feel at tap on her shoulder, she immediately spun to come face to face Dumbledore. He looked completely unsettled and angsty, causing great confusion to Harlow. "You must follow me Miss Loughty." He spoke in a tone that told Harlow she had no room to argue, not that she would. Dumbledore's current state had her too curious to let it go and ignore.
Harlow excused herself from the group and could feel their stares on her back as she left the hall with Dumbledore a few paces in front of her. Dumbledore was silent the whole walk to the office and his pace was fast conveying how urgently he was trying to get to his office.
Harlow's eyebrows furrowed in thought as she followed behind him and was directed up the stairs to his office, but he himself didn't join her. She stepped into the large room and without the individual even having to utter a word Harlow snapped her head to the side after feeling his presence. A man came into her direct eyeline of view. She stood still and waited as the man stood from his chair and walked until he was about a metre away from her.
"Harlow, it's time we have a chat."
WHOOP NOW WE'RE ONTO THE FIRST PART OF HER AVENGERS SOTRYLINE!
THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS WON'T ALWAYS BE EXACTLY LIKE WHAT'S IN THE MOVIE, ITS ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF HARLOW WAS ADDED TO THE MIX. I'M NOT JUST GIVING HER LINES WHILE EVERYTHING ELSE STAYS THE SAME. THERE WILL BE CHANGES AND AS YOU'VE SEEN FROM THE CAST LIST THINGY A COUPLE OF EXTRA CHARCTERS.
Also just wanna say in this fanfic Remus is gay, but he hasn't told anyone that yet and is still trying to figure it out for himself. While his date wasn't talked about in this chapter she will be mentioned later on.
Tagged for notifications: randomperson1689
Thank you very much for reading and for interacting if you do X
Final thing, my laptop has broke so this is why updates have been slow. I've been working on my phone and I get distracted easily and suck at spelling so I get a bunch of weird autocorrections so it takes longer to write the chapters.
Hopefully I'll be able to solve my situation soon x