James' POV
We'd been back at school for a week now. Final year. Six down and one to go. Unfortunately, though, that already meant that our professors had piled more than the last six years worth of work on our shoulders already. Leaving myself, Freddie - my partner in crime and cousin- and Sam Robinson - a total weirdo we adopted in first year, now a pretty solid friend - to follow my on again, off again girlfriend's little harem to the library and pretend like we were studying as hard as they were gossiping.
"I swear on it!" Chloe Mills faux whispered. "Charlie Avondale saw them!"
"They did not kiss." Polly Parkinson, my girlfriend, flipped her hair over her shoulder, fluttering her eyes a little at me as she did. "Clarke doesn't have the lady balls to go chasing after someone like Malfoy.
"But Malfoy's a big enough man-whore to let her." Freddie whispered at me and Sam.
"I thought he was chasing your Rosie?" Sam's voice was barely audible over the turning of his page. Freddie hit him with a book. It was coming. We all could see it. Didn't mean we had to like it. Though Rose dating a Malfoy sure would make Christmas hilarious.
"Back to Avondale though," Little Jessica Sommers put in. "Is he single again? Because I mean -" Polly laughed loud and cruel. The boys and I shared a look. Freddie was mocking me, Sam was being sympathetic.
"Charlie Avondale is a gay as row of pink tents!" she cackled at poor, now beet red, Sommers.
"No! No!" She argued shaking her little blonde head. "He was dating Sophia Dennison last year!"
"I can assure you," Sam piped up. "With great accuracy, that Avondale is, indeed, on my team. Sorry, Sweets!" The girls looked at Sam open mouthed. It wasn't really a secret that Sam was gay, just not often it was said out loud. And he almost never let on who he'd been burning the midnight oil with. Even as a straight man, I could see the attraction with Charlie Avondale, a very handsome hufflepuff in the year below us. I reached forward holding my fist out to Sam who smiled goofily as he met it with his own closed fist.
"Did anyone hear the latest on Lily though?" I could see Polly out of the corner of my eye. She was trying to get a rise out of me or Freddie now. We'd upset her not being upset with Sam.
"She's got a boyfriend?!" One of the new girls - I never bothered to learn their names when they were new - to the group hissed.
"Merlin no!" Polly laughed. "She'll die a virgin -"
"Good." I hissed through clenched teeth.
"She has however got some new artwork." The girls looked confused and Freddie kicked my foot. "Little white lines all up her arm. She likes to-"
"Too fucking far, Polly." I stood up. I could feel my face going red with anger. How dare she talk about my baby sister like that!? How dare she turn her into a joke!
"What?" Polly feigned innocence. She knew what Lily was going through, the daft girl had told her herself. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You bloody well know you did!" I yelled. "It's over Polly, I'm fucking sick of this scheming and gossiping! It's one thing to talk about who kissed who or Sam's outstanding lay -"
"Thanks bro."
"Don't mention it," I changed my tone to Sam, but back to pissed off Weasley when I turned back to Polly. "But a total different game to bitch about someones baby sister's mental health when you know she came to you for help because she looked up to you." The girls had gone from staring at me accusingly to wide mouthed gaping at Polly. "I'm fucking done, Polly. It's over." I spat.
I started to gather my things up, Freddie and Sam following suit, when a small voice interrupted.
"I'm really sorry," I turned, still furious. My anger dropped when my lizard brain caught up with itself. It was only Landon. "I'm trying to get my trans papers done, and you're all being a little distracting. Would you mind?"
"I'm leaving anyway." I fumed.
"Sorry, B." Sam waved. "Mind if I catch you later? Struggling with potions."
"Sure," Landon smiled before turning away and ducking back behind a book shelf.
We found a new table, a little way away from the girls, but we were still able to hear them whisper and giggle. Occasionally, you could hear what they were actually saying. Apparently, Mavis Tressle in Slytherin had a new piercing. Freddie confirmed and wiggled his eye brow when asked where. Some poor firstie ran into Queen Polly yesterday and now was the bane of her entire existence. And Prof Binns was accused of looking up girls skirts. Seriously. The man didn't even realise he'd died, never mind gives two hoots whats up a ladies skirt!
"Do they ever shut up?" I groaned, face planting into my textbook.
"Nope." Sam popped the 'p'.
"Sod it." I slammed my book shut. "I'm going." I left Freddie and Sam still sitting at the table, and actually doing some work for once.
I wasn't paying much attention when I left the library and turned down the corridor filled with little alcoves that some people used for studying. Until something - or someone - plowed straight into my chest. I looked down to see familiar strawberry blonde curls backing out of my athletic front.
"Alright, Landon?" I smirked quickly hooking one arm around her waist.
"Public, James." She sighed before looking up at me. The things I would do for those beautiful baby blues. Alright, the things I have done because of those baby blues. I quickly looked around the almost deserted corridor before pulling us both the short distance in the alcove she'd just left. It was still public, like she was about to point out, but it was at least not out in the open. Landon's full lips parted, a look of annoyance on her face. Before she could utter a single syllable, I caught her mouth with mine, not even waiting for permission before I thrust my tongue into her.
You see, while Polly and I had a public on again, off again thing, Briar Landon and I had something much better. Or worse, some might say. We liked to fuck. Fuck buddies, one might say. Call me what you want, but it was rarely called off - if ever. We just didn't screw for a bit.
I dropped my book and ran my spare arm down her thigh, pulling her skirt up so I could get my fingers on her bare flesh. The beautiful little minx she was, she didn't refuse, in fact she stood high on her tiptoes, wrapping her arm around my neck for better leverage. I used that to my advantage and hooked her leg up around my waist. This gave me the perfect vantage point to reach under her thigh and to her core.
"Missed me, B?" I smirked, giving my attack on her mouth a rest. I teased her, gently rubbing the wet fabric against her. "All for me?" I loved to feel how wet she'd get for me, I loved how I could make her moan. I went in to kiss her again, but she turned away from me.
"Fuck, James." She rested her head into the crook of my neck. "We can't do this. What if we're seen?" She started to pull away from me.
"Hey," I stopped her. "I don't know if you heard but I'm a free man now, so unless you've found yourself something fitter than me..." I smiled. She looked up at me again. There was something in her eyes.
"It's more complicated then that, Jamie." She whispered. Her went glassy and she looked away from me quickly.
"Shit, Briar," Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck-fuck. "I didn't mean - did I go too far?"
"No," She was smiling again, thank Merlin! Smiling is a good sign, right? "I just - I want you to think long and hard -"
"I am very much so." I smirked again, earning me a slap on the chest from her petite hand. Red polish today, nice touch Landon.
"James." She warned me. "I really want to you to think about this, about us." She was playing with the creases in my shirt now, pushing them straight and pulling the material away from my body in a random pattern. "If we keep up this silly game, you'll never get where you're meant to be and who you're meant to be with." She was refusing to look up at me. I untangled one hand and caught her cheek with it. She resisted me tilting her head upwards, but only for a moment. A single tear rolled down her cheek. To say I was confused was an understatement.
"Maybe you are the one I'm meant to be with?" I rested my forehead against hers. I wasn't lying to her. It could work. We were definitely compatible in the bedroom, she was very easy on the eyes and she was down right hilarious. And she didn't put up with my shit, could hold her own in an argument - horrible temper, but so is mine - and could most definitely keep up at at family games nights.
"I'm not," She leaned up and gave me one soft peck on the lips. "Please, Jamie, just think." She untangled herself and left me along in the alcove. That was not how I was expecting that little meeting to go.
A couple of hours - and one less erection - later, I was still confused when I made my way into The Great Hall for tea. Freddie and Sam were already seated at the Gryffindor table. They'd been joined by my cousins Molly and Rose. Lily wasn't sat too far away either.
"Potter." Freddie nodded over at me.
"Weasley." I replied, sitting myself down next to Molly and grabbing a few french fries from her plate.
"Get your own!" She shoved me. Quickly, the redhead turned back to the mousey haired girl next to her and carried on with her chattering.
"Ouch!" a sharp pain exploded in my knee.
"You might want to listen to this, James." Freddie nodded over at our two cousins.
"- got to be a couple of months, at least." Rose nodded.
"I didn't even know she was seeing anyone!" Molly was about as good at whispering as I was at keeping my temper.
"She's not."
"Summer fling maybe?"
"Maybe."
"Who are we even talking about?" I nudged Molly's back with my elbow.
"Briar Landon." Molly turned back to me.
"What she done?" I was interested. Rumour mills churning over Landon could fill me in on this afternoons weirdness. Molly and Rose shared a look between themselves. Eventually Rose shrugged.
"Word is she's..." she looked around, then leaned over Molly towards me and the boys. "she's pregnant." I nearly choked on my stolen bread.
"She's told you this?" Sam, ever the cool kid, chose his words carefully. Ignoring me spluttering and Freddie's crazy eyes in my direction.
Freddie and Sam where the only two people, I knew of, that knew about mine and Landon's little 'game'. We'd been fooling around for about two years, having sex for the best part of the last one. Freddie knew because he could read me like a book and hadn't dropped it when he found out I'd kissed her at a house party one time. Sam had the pleasant experience of walking in on us a few months later, me leaning on a school desk and Landon on her knees. I'm sure you can fill in the details.
Molly shook her head. "No, it's just something running through the rumour mill. Dorm mates are saying she spends her days puking."
"Entirely possible it was just a tummy bug," Rose nodded.
As we left The Great Hall, Freddie got close to me, nudging my arm. I looked over at him and a million questions could be read in his dark eyes. I didn't want to talk about this. It couldn't be possible. I just saw her - if she was wouldn't she have told me?
"Just a tummy bug, mate." I muttered, repeating Rose's earlier words, and walked ahead and away from him and Sam.