Ever After

It's all arranged before either of them can remember.

Their respective pairs of parents sit and chat while they are pushed out into the large garden, and forced to play, even though she really doesn't want to. This happens for as long as she can remember, up until they go to Hogwarts. Every week, for a single afternoon, they are ushered out into the garden, and left alone while their parents talk.

One afternoon they eavesdrop on their parents, her ear pressed against the wall and James peering in the window, standing on the chair they both dragged over from the garden setting.

He looks down at her, and whines, "I can't see anything."

She glares at him. "Shhh, you'll make them hear us!" she grits out, hair falling in her face. Dorcas pushes it back impatiently, and sighs. She presses her ear again to the brick wall, but draws it back slowly, slumping down. "I can't hear anything, I guess they've stop talking."

He glances at her sideways, brown eyes wide behind his glasses. "So, what were they talking about?"

Her little shoulders shrug. "I really don't know. They were talking about something like going into Diagon Alley to look at dresses, and flower arrangements." Dorcas shrugs again. "I guess one of my cousins are getting married, and your mum most be involved as well."

James purses his lips. "Mum and Dad didn't mention anything about a wedding."

Dorcas glares at him. "Are you saying I'm wrong? My ears do work, you know! I heard what I heard, and if you wanted to press your ears against the walls and try to hear them, well, be my guest! But no, you wanted to stand on a chair and try and look through, even though you know the curtains are to thick for you to see through."

She huffs, sitting down in the garden.

"You're going to get mud on your dress," James points out, smiling softly at her. She glares back, shaking her head.

"Don't care," she states simply, taking a deep breath.

"But you love that dress," he says, looking down at her from his position on the chair. He sighs, shrugging. "It's pretty though."

Dorcas raises an eyebrow. "Did you just call my dress pretty?" she asks.

James blushes. "Maybe."

She hits him on the leg playfully, laughing. "James Potter, you big softie! I never knew you to be so sweet!"

"Tigers can change their spots, you know," he mumbles, head bowed so as not to look at her grinning face.

"Tigers don't have spots, silly!" she exclaims, giggling. "They're striped. You need to study your books more James, not just spend all your time playing Quidditch."

"But I'm going to be a professional one day. How can I become a professional without practicing?" James asks, looking at her softly.

"Okay then," she says. "But I've got something to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"Where will I be in your professional Quidditch life, with your fancy clothes, and your load of money and your big house?" Dorcas questions, smiling up at him, her knees folded underneath her chin.

James just smiles at her. "You'll be right by my side, of course. Where else would you be?"

Inside, looking out through the window, she glances down at them, nursing her cup of tea. Clara joins her, staring down at the pair as well, her floral-printed tea-cup firmly gripped in her hand.

"They make a cute pair," she remarks, smiling softly.

Victoria nods slightly, sipping her tea. "I just thought I had raised James well enough. I thought he would be educated in the way of women enough to at least offer Dorcas his chair, instead of leaving her sitting on the ground."

Clara laughs softly, shaking her head. "Even if he did offer, Dora would never have taken it. She's too headstrong. Don't fret over it, Vicky."

Victoria nods, sighing softly.

Outside, James nudges Dorcas and whispers something to her that makes her burst into giggles, hands covering her mouth.

"But they will make an adorable couple one day," Clara says smiling.

Victoria nods.

"They will."

For EHWIES! *glomp*