Disclaimer: I am not J.K Rowling. These incredible characters belong to her. I'm not that cool or talented to publish a novel.

Also A/N - Rose is a fourth year, James is a fifth year, Louis is a seventh year (CANON AGES LOOK AT ME WOOOO!)

"No, no, a thousand times no."

"You are impossible. Really. It's just one date. And Darcy's a lovely girl. All you have to do is give her a chance."

James rolled his eyes so far back in his head he was surprised they didn't get stuck there. A date? With Darcy? Was she mad? Well of course she was mad, she was bloody Rose Weasley. Stubborn and hell-bent on getting things done her way. At least that's the approach she took when it came to his love life.

"If you hadn't been staring all googly eyed at your boyfriend last night-"

"He is not my boyfriend!"

"- you may have noticed that I did speak to Darcy. All she did was babble on and on about Quidditch and the trials and how she would love to be Keeper when she's fully aware of the fact that Louis plays that position and he's the captain, so frankly she stands no chance. I mean honestly, what good did it do telling me that?"

"Boys! You are so thick. She was just trying to start a conversation, James! Why are you being so difficult?" The tips of Rose's ears were turning as red as her hair. Uh-oh. James knew trouble was coming. Thank Merlin for her ears; they were like a fire alarm, a warning bell that one fourteen year old girl was likely to get very angry very soon.

"I'm sorry. Look I'm not trying to be difficult, well not any more difficult than I usually am. I just know Darcy's not the girl for me."

"And how do you know that from one evening with her?" Rose raised one eyebrow perfectly, surveying James. How she managed that he didn't know. His mother had mastered the art as well, but when James did it he was caught between a wink and a facial spasm.

"I don't know, instincts?" He shrugged. Well it wasn't a complete lie. His instincts had told him he shouldn't date her. There was a constant thought in his head that told him this girl isn't right for you. But his gut had also said that about the past three girls whom he'd gone out with.

"That's what you said when you broke up with Poppy. And Jane. And Natalie." God he swore that Rose could read minds. Instantly insanely dirty thoughts popped into his head, as if his stupid little brain wanted to test the mind reading theory by scarring his cousin, but he very quickly pushed them away. Not the time. Although if he was being truthful he would much rather have her know a few immature jokes than what was really bothering him.

"Shit Rose just leave me okay, you wouldn't understand." His gaze shifted to the floor. He could still feel her deep brown orbs on him, waiting, watching, very much impatient. Oh joy she was starting to tap her foot as well! It was like he was firing up a missile to be launched. Target – him.

"Try me," she breathed out at long last.

Next thing he knew she was pulling up a chair and sitting determinedly in front of him. She might as well have been glued to the thing she sat so still.

"And you call me the impossible one. Alright, you want to know? Tell me the first thing that pops into your mind about them. Poppy, Jane and Natalie. And Darcy. Go on."

It took a moment for Rose to compose herself. She was expecting some big breakthrough, a heart-to-heart with her cousin and then whipping him into shape. She wasn't expecting a question. A really odd one as well. What first came to mind when she thought of those girls? James was glancing up at her, slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He gave her a pout like a lost puppy before making the tick-tock noise of a clock.

"Get on with it Rosie, I want to still be able to enjoy my youth."

Glaring, she opened her mouth and began.

"Well Poppy. She was really proud of her name. She was always carrying around poppies, like she would wear them in her hair or she would spray on that goddamn perfume of hers that reeked of the things. And Jane… Jane was a genius. Top of her year and everyone said it was because her parents were doctors in the muggle world, which you had to be insanely clever to do. Natalie was a Slytherin, really James it's still a wonder my dad didn't hex you, but she was astonishingly kind. And her eyes of course! They were so green they matched her robes just about. And Darcy… Well she's the girl anyone normal human being would befriend. Then again there's that flaming red hair of hers, that's how half the school recognises her anyway. They're all convinced she's from our family. There. Done. Are you happy? Did you want more? Do I win a prize?"

"Not unless you want a surprise type of prize that involves your utter humiliation and a week's detention for Fred and I," he let out a short laugh, "But you are correct. What you said about them is exactly the reason I can't date them."

Rose frowned. James nodded. He smiled his awkward tight-lipped smile, the kind reserved for your mother when she walked into you room with your favourite stuffed animal while you were trying to impress a girl.

"And what do you think of me, Rose?" He asked, just to get her to stop frowning. She was beautiful (yes they were related, bloody hell he didn't mean it in that way) but with her face all crinkled up like that you could never see that beauty. And there was still a part of him, praying, that what she was going to say wasn't what everyone else always said.

"You're an annoying git. Jokes. Maybe. Well you're James Potter. Star chaser of the Quidditch team, future Head Boy of Gryffindor, prankster who is naughty as can get and all around a nice guy who is somewhat of a prat. Oops so maybe that first part wasn't a lie."

James couldn't bring himself to crack a grin at her joke. Though it sounded like something he himself would say. He had to give her props for that one day. Today just wasn't the day. He felt his heart sink.

"With that description right there you may as well have been telling me about my late grandfather. That's almost exactly what my dad tells me, what the professors tell me. That I'm just like him. Like I'm the second reincarnation of him. I even end up going after girls that are just like the one he married! And he was a hero of course and I should feel honoured but I don't. I hate it. I hate being compared to him all the time. I hate not being my own person. All I'm ever going to be is James Potter 2.0, only the more pathetic version."

Rose shut her eyes and sighed. She couldn't breathe. She didn't know how to react. James looked drained as if he was deprived of sleep, of life. He was emotionless actually, which in her opinion was far worse than crying or kicking a chair over.

"That's why you broke up with those girls. That's why you don't want to go out with Darcy. Isn't it? It's because they're all in a way just like Lily Potter, your grandmother. Poppy's named after a flower, Jane's a smart muggleborn, Natalie has green eyes and Merlin, Darcy has red hair. James, oh James." She leaned forward and hugged him, wrapping him in her arms and squeezing him tight. His chest was aching; if Rose thought about it long enough she could feel how cold he actually was. God she felt sorry for him. God she just wanted to make sure he would be alright. This poor boy was left in his grandfather's shadow, trying to get out, but constantly getting stuck.

James stiffened, reluctantly pulling back. He was still dumbfounded that he had just said that to her. Revealed his deepest secret. How did that happen? Maybe it was because he had kept it in for so long now. As soon as Rose had given him the opportunity, he couldn't help but blurt it out. He was a mess. An utter mess. He was supposed to be the cool one; now he sat in the arms of his younger, wiser cousin. He didn't mind admitting that, he just hadn't wanted to admit this weakness of his and show how much it affected him. And there was also the fact that he was not in the mood for this girl-to-girl stuff. That's not how he rolled.

"Don't think like that. You're James. You're one of a kind. You're amazingly witty and far more intelligent than you let on and you love reading Muggle comic books when everyone is asleep. You're sweet and gentle, you knit scarves with Grandmum Weasley and you are the cleanest boy I've ever meet. And there's plenty of other things! That's the James I know. That's the James you are. Everyone loves you. Everyone. And they're not trying to turn you into your grandfather and you most definitely aren't turning into him. You've inherited his best traits. But you aren't him. You're James Sirius Potter. Trust me."

If this was a chick flick James would be in tears right now. He was almost close to, especially at that last part. Instead he had to puff out his chest a little, inhale and give Rose a megawatt smile. Not even a forced one, this smile came as natural as breathing. Who knew what a difference a few kind words would have on a guy? He sat for a minute, in utter silence, just smiling at her, waiting for his insides to warm up again, waiting to go back to normal.

"Rosie Posie you are one exquisite motivational speaker." He hugged her, a proper one unlike before and whispered in her ear, "Thank you."

He had needed that. And even though the same fears still lurked within him, he felt better about. Much better. Like cloud nine better.

"You don't need to thank me. You can trust me with these things, come to me whenever you like. And I'm glad to see you aren't perfect, I feel like I can consider you an equal now." She chuckled. He snorted, but threw his hands up in a 'what-can-I-say' kind of way.

"I'm sure I'll get over it. You know, the thing. I'm just going to stay focused for the time being. You know, do my homework ten instead of five minutes before class, train for the Quidditch season, find myself a brunette or a blonde that I'm not weirded out by. Small things."

"That's another thing about you – lame sense of humour."

"Well if you want to be downright rude to a man!" James muttered, in mock sadness as he held his hand over his heart.

"I have to get going, Robert and I are going to study for our Charms test."

"Don't worry Rose, I know that's just code for 'going to go snog'."

She swatted at him with the textbook sitting beside her. Merlin how did he manage to have a complete personality shift? Boys. That's all she was going to say. She shouldn't be complaining anyway. She preferred him to be back to his cheeky self than his depressed state. She could only wish she would never have to see him like that again for a long time.

Just as she was about to exit the common room, something hit her (figurative of course, James had tried to throw a Chocolate Frog at her before but damn that girl had quick reflexes).

"Oh, and James?"

"Still alive."

"Darcy dyes her hair."