( chapter )
twenty-six
VALENTINES DAY WAS EITHER something you hated, or adored. You either had a significant other who gave you gifts and kisses all day, making you feel loved and special, while you did the same in return.
Or you were alone, eating chocolate and ice-cream in your room until you felt like you could never eat another mouthful again, but then you somehow found more room to eat.
Cassiopeia Black would normally go down to the kitchen with Nova, the two of them asking the house-elves for different foods, to which the house-elves obliged without a second thought.
The two of them making fun of the couples who were at Hogsmeade, laughing until their stomachs hurt from a mixture of laughing and too many sweet treats.
However, this year it was different.
Cassie let out a small groan as she walked towards Hogsmeade, three of the four Marauders by her side. James had once again been rejected by Lily, Remus didn't want a date and kindly refused the fourth year girl who had asked him, while Peter didn't get asked.
Because of this, Cassie was dragged by the three boys to the wizarding village, when all she wanted to do was sleep for the entire day.
She couldn't even hang out with Alice, Marlene and Lily as they all had dates, Alice was going on a date with her boyfriend, Frank Longbottom. Lily was with Amos Diggory, and Marlene was with, it made Cassie feel sick just thinking about it, Sirius.
However, the two of them had been rather awkward when they walked off to Hogsmeade.
So she was stuck with the three Gryffindor boys all day.
"Any ideas on where we should go?" Remus asked as they walked past a female student who was sneakily trying to grab the hand of the girl sitting next to her. Cassie smiled slightly at the two, before turning back to Remus.
"I just need to go to Honeydukes, but that can wait if anyone has any other plans?" Peter shook his head, his eyes lighting up slightly at the mention of the sweet shop.
James nodded, shoving his hands in the pocket of his jacket, beginning to walk to Honeydukes.
"Guess were going to Honeydukes now then," Cassie said, rolling her eyes slightly before following after James.
Remus and Peter shared a look, as they began to walk behined the others. Cassie quickly caught up with James, falling into step with him, before looking up.
"What pissed in your cereal this morning?" She asked, her tone playful as she zipped up her coat.
James shook his head.
"The same thing that pissed in yours." Cassie smiled slightly, looking away from James and at another one of the couples, they were far enough away that you couldn't hear what they were saying, but close enough to see their mouths moving.
Cassie's smile grew as she began to mock the couple.
"Oh Samantha," she said in a deepish voice.
"I know you're my sister, but you're just too irresistible for me." Then before she could put on a higher pitched voice, James interrupted.
"Oh but Brian." He said, his voice so high it sounded like a car alarm.
"You know I love you, but Jack is the one for me." Cassie grinned more, continuing on.
"Jack! Jack! I've been there for you since we we're in the woumb together, now I find out you're with our older brother."
James let out a laugh, shaking his head as she too spoke again.
"Oh Brian, I'm so sorry, but we can still be siblings with benefits."
Then the two burst out laughing, gaining the attention from most of the people around them as the boy nodded, before leaning in for a makeout session with the girl.
"I didnt expect that to work out so well." Cassie laughed, holding her stomach. James looked down at her.
Her hair was in a high ponytail bouncing slightly as she laughed, a few strands falling down her face, her lips where parted, the corners of them upturned into a grin. Her cheeks were flushed, from a mixture of cold and from the laughing, her eyes were slightly open, but the dark brown looked like pools of gold in the sun. James smiled down at her as a thought crossed his mind.
He thought she looked beautiful. He quickly shook the thought from his head, before he laughed some more, shaking his head again.
"That was amazing." Once the two had finally stopped laughing, they looked around.
Remus and Peter were nowhere to be seen. Cassie shook her head, but the smile on her face didn't leave as she looked up at James again.
"Should we just go to Honeydukes anyways?" James thought for a second, looking down into her eyes, the thought once again passing through his mind, but he once again shook it off, he hadn't got much sleep last night.
He and Sirius were working on another prank, so that was obviously why the thought kept popping into his mind.
James nodded, and the two once again fell in step with each other, making small talk, most of the talk was about favourite colours, as they walked up to the shop.
Cassie grinned as she walked inside, her eyes lighting up as she quickly walked over to the chocolates.
Each Valentines day they always had an amazing chocolate out, it was always flavoured like your favourite sweet treat, the chocolate also seemed to melt the second it was placed in your mouth, something that made Cassie feel as if she was in heaven.
She grinned, grabbing two of the bars before turning back to James, who had his arms full of different treats, Cassie giggled slightly, walking up to the counter.
She placed her two chocolate bars down and reached into her bag to grab her money, when James placed his sweets down on top of hers. Cassie knit her eyebrows together as the lady at the till counted up the price, and as James paid the woman.
He then smiled, giving Cassie the two chocolate bars.
"Why did you pay for me?" She asked, holding the two bars in her hand as she looked up at James, who only shrugged.
"I can pay for myself." James nodded.
"I know, but I wanted to be nice." Cassie nodded slightly.
"But why did you buy it for me?" James let out a slight laugh, grabbing his sweets, that the woman behind the counter had put into a bag, a large pink heart was decorated on the side.
"I can take it back if you want." James reached for the chocolate, but Cassie shoved it into her bag.
"No, it's my chocolate." James let out another laugh, smiling down at the girl.
"You two are such a cute couple." The woman behind the till said, grinning up at the two. James eyes widened slightly, but what made the grin leave his face was how quickly Cassie went;
"Sorry, but we're not dating."
James didn't know why, but he felt a slight jab in his chest as she said the words.
･・･☽✥☾･・･
James frowned as he sat down besides Remus. He had just gotten back from Hogsmeade, meaning that he had spent the whole day with Cassie, but he didn't regret it.
However, his mind kept swimming with different thoughts:
Why didn't say no that quickly, am I that bad?
Is she disgusted by the idea of being with me?
Is there something wrong with me?
James shook his head again, running a hand through his messy hair, only to have it get caught halfway through.
Remus glanced over at the boy, who was trying to tug his hand out of his knotted hair, he placed down his book and turned to face him.
"You okay there Prongs?" Remus asked, trying not to laugh at the triumphant fist pump James did as he freed his hand.
The boy looked up.
"Yeah- no. I honestly don't know Moons." Remus' eyebrows furrowed,
"Whats up?" He asked, and James let out another sigh.
"So after you and Peter ditched me and Cassie in Hogsmeade, we decided to go to Honeydukes." Remus nodded.
"So then, I paid for her chocolate, and the woman behind the till said that we were a cute couple, then without thinking twice, Cassie said, we're not together." James sighed yet again.
"What does that even mean Moony? Like, am I not good enough for her, is she repulsed by the idea of dating me? Or is it something else."
Remus couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face.
"Prongs, I think you like her." James eyes widened, and he shook his head.
"No- no, I don't, she isn't Lily." Remus' smile didnt falter as he began to speak.
"James, you can like more than one person," But James shook his head.
"No. I don't like Cassie, it probably just bruised my ego or something."
Remus nodded, but he definitely didn't agree, as he opened book and began to read again, but the smile didnt leave his face as he realised that James was thinking so much into it, that he hadn't even realised she had called the girl by her first name.
･・･☽✥☾･・･