There was two things James Potter disliked.
Yes only two things.
He was the type of person to pretty much be able to find the good in anyone or anything. Which for the record was extremely infuriating for people like Sirius, Remus or Aveline, who genuinely found something to detest in almost anything.
Those two things were fairly simply—
People he loved being hurt
And losing.
Right now, the middle of dreadful january with its harsh winds and snowstorms, the two things he disliked the most of all were in his horizons— mocking him like some shadows he couldn't quite reach.
It all started on a brisk monday morning, the type of monday morning where you wish so badly it was a saturday, and could stay in your bed surrounded by cozy blankets and the relaxation of doing nothing.
But no, it just had to be monday because no matter how much we wish it was something we could bottle up and contain, time couldn't be stopped.
James Potter, sporting his usual happy go lucky attitude with his head boy badge and dazzling smile was making his way down to breakfast.
The boy had always been a morning person (you know the sort of annoying type that wakes up looking nearly perfect and never has eye bags and always seem to have a hop in their step? Yes that was James Potter). He always made a point to head down to breakfast early, and recently he made a habit of sitting with the daily prophet and a cup of tea well he awaited his friends to join him.
It was a peaceful time, the sort where he could just be within his own mind, within his own thoughts without anything to distract him.
"Potter!"
It was Mcgonagall's voice, the one that on instant caused him to turn around like some sort of obedient dog. She was rushing towards him, her usual stern face even more set, as if she was made of stone.
"Minnie? What is it?" he asked, pausing in his tracks.
She shook her head, letting her face wash over into an expression of slight despair. Rarely ever did she let her guard down around students, but time and time again as the war raged on James saw her crack.
And that was terrifying. Minvera Mcgonagall was probably the bravest person he knew, and to see her of all people emotional, made him realize the severity of the situation.
"Mr Bailey's family has been found murdered, I'm afraid you'll be out a seeker for this Friday's match," she said solemnly, no beating around the bush.
James heart dropped in his stomach. Jonathan Bailey was the Gryffindor teams seeker, a tiny little third year who was always upbeat and never was seen without a smile and giggled.
James supposed now that would change. Another young happy soul, stolen by the turmoil of war.
It seemed like everyday now, someone James's knew was being sent home in tears and with bad news. It was getting closer and closer to him, and he couldn't help but feel as if somehow this was the calm before an even worse storm.
He could live without a seeker for a match, certainly this may very well cost them the house cup, but a boys entire family had been murdered— James could live with losing a Quidditch match, as much as it would bother him.
He sighed, there was nothing he could possibly say.
It was terrifying for him, mere months away from graduating and being sent of into a world where the only constants were death and war.
Mcgonagall looked at him endearingly, the way a mother or a grandmother might, reaching out a hand and placing it lovingly on his shoulder.
"I don't think I've told you what a wonderful job you are doing as head boy Mr Potter," she said, her tone different from her usual shrill Proffesor Mcgonagall tone.
He didn't say much, just sending her a soft smile to deep in his own mind. James Potter wasn't one for praise, in fact it might be a surprise to some but James who didn't do anything for praise. He didn't expect it nor did he need it.
"Yeah well.." James trailed off, staring down at the ground. "I just wish I could do more."
He didn't say what he meant by more, but the woman knew.
She could see it in his strong determined eyes, in the way James Potter always wanted to do what was right and protect the people he loved.
The Proffesor wasn't daft, she knew in a mere couple months James Potter would graduate and become a soldier. It pained her to even think so. James Potter and his friends were like children to her, and part of her just wished they could stay protected in the the walls of Hogwarts forever— where she could watch over them and protect them from a harsh world.
But they were growing up, she could see it so plainly in James Potter, the way in the past couple months she watched him go from a teenage boy to a young man.
"Are you alright Minnie?" James asked, titling his head and looking at the woman with concern.
She had merely paused, and hadn't realized she was just staring at him with near tears in her eye.
How fast she blinked and the ragged hair first year James Potter who ran through the hallways with pockets full of dung bombs and eyes full of trouble turned into the head boy with the demeanour of someone who was born to be a leader, she did not know.
"Promise me James," she said, and by the fact she used his first name he knew this was serious. It was always either Potter or Mr Potter with her, "that you take care of yourself and your friends once you graduate. Be careful."
There was a glisten in his eye, the look of a hero, she could tell. She so badly wished she could convince them all not to fight, but that would be like asking the sun not to rise everyday.
"You know me Minnie," James answered, his tone appearing light and happy, "when have you known me not to be careful?"
Sarcasm was thick in his tone, and in response he merely got a tut of her lips and shake of her head.
"Your tie is crooked Mr Potter," she told him, before walking away with a sweep of her emerald robes.
___
There are some people who can keep their emotions bottled in so secretly, that they could be raging like a forest fire and no one would be able to tell.
Aveline Rosier, was not one of these people.
When she was angry, she wore it plain on her face like a wide open book. There was no hiding it, for she couldn't. The anger was in her eyes, in her skin, in her body language, till anyone who walked by could practically feel it.
Let's make one thing clear, Aveline wasn't exactly angry at Remus, she was more so upset, and her version of upset included raging around Hogwarts slamming open doors and scaring first years as she did so.
She felt like a fool most of all, and there was nothing she hated more then feeling like a joke.
But for real— who tells someone they are in love with them and then leaves like that?
Remus and Aveline still hadn't talked after the whole be-my-boyfriend-no- thing, and truthfully she didn't have as much as a singular inclination to do so.
If he wanted to talk, he could come to her, but she would not go out of her way to make amends between then two of them, when all Remus Lupin ever seemed to do was run away from her.
"Hey Aveline maybe we can take a break?" Dorcas Meadows asked at the Hufflepuff Quidditch practice in the evening.
The practice had been going on for three hours, and everyone was dripping with sweat and creaking with exhaustion except Aveline herself, who was still energetically flying around as if they had just started.
She snapped around at Dorcas's words, genuinely looking at her fellow Hufflepuff with confusion.
"We have the pitch for another three hours?" she said it as if it was obvious and why would they stop if they had it for another three hours.
"I reckon," Bill Davius interjected, one of the beaters, "the team is exhausted Aveline. We should probably call it quits."
She tutted her lips, thinking to herself about her teams lack of work ethic before sending them off to change the rooms. It was past dark, almost midnight yet somehow Aveline was awake as an owl.
In fact, after her team was sent off she remained on the field, flying around with her wild hair flying around her, tossing up the quaffle to herself and practicing dives.
At some point it started to snow, the snow flakes turning her nose red and landing in her hair like delicate little bugs landing on a flower.
Her mind was particularly like a maze tonight— worries and questions caved into her mind making her thoughts spin and get lost in every which direction. Most of them though, always seemed to lead to him.
The dead end that was Remus Lupin and his crooked smile and warm brown eyes.
What was wrong with her that he wanted nothing more then to snog her in hidden corners?
Was he scared of her?
Was the dark blood that ran through her veins to horrid for his pure soul?
Or was it she was merely delusion, and everything she imagined they had been building was nothing more the a figment of a lovesick teenage girl who didn't know any better.
"Aveline! AVELINE!"
Lily Evans was in the stands, yelling at the top
of her lungs to try to get the girls attention. She was bundled in a scarf and her robes, a contrast to Aveline's thin hoodie and nothing more.
It took a good couple minutes of screaming to get Aveline's attention, in which the blonde girl immediately bolted to Lily in the stands.
"What is it?" She said as she landed next to the girl.
Lily merely shook her head, and slapped a hand over her mouth. It was only then that she realized the girls eyes were thick and red with tears.
Oh no, Aveline's heart lurched into her stomach.
"It's James," she finally gasped, in between tears, "I'm so sorry Aveline, I didn't know what to do, they all came at us and James— I didn't know what to do— he stepped infront of the curse and oh Aveline!"
She broke off into uncontrollable sobs throwing herself into Aveline's frozen arms.
The blonde girl couldn't move, her body frozen as she could only picture the worst going through her head.
"Lily what happened?" Aveline said sternly, grabbing Lily by the shoulders and pushing her away.
Lily responded by merely shaking her head and crying, which only enraged Aveline more.
"Where is he? Lily what happened? You need to tell me," Aveline demanded, her eyes searching Lily for answers.
"He's in the hospital wing," Lily finally gasped, "But we aren't supposed to go in, it's bad—"
Before Lily could say anything else Aveline took off running, despite the fact that Lily was yelling at her to stop from behind her.
She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe, all she could picture was James lifeless body laying in the hospital wing.