The wind whistled through James' unbrushed hair as he ran across the courtyard. His face was red and his cheeks were stained with tears. His feet pounded on the gravel throwing a trail of dust in the air. He'd left the common room in a rush and the winter air was bitter cold without his coat and hat. The darkness cloaked him as he left the lights of the castle behind him and thundered into the shadows. He didn't know where he was heading but as he ran he slowly transfigured into the majestic form of a stag.
His friends nicknamed him 'Prongs' for his animagus form. Thinking about this just made him all the more angry. It was his friends that caused this upset. Remus had sided with Lily in a stupid argument they'd been having and then Sirius had started taking the piss with his dumb impressions. Peter had tried to make James feel better but he always sucked up too much and that had just annoyed him all the more. He didn't stand a chance with Lily any more. She'd probably go to the ball with Snivellus now, just to spite him.
Hooves clattered over the stones which paved the way around the great lake. It felt good to run as the stag. So much faster, so much freer. He spotted the boathouse ahead and slid to a halt. He transfigured back to his human form as he slipped through the door and slumped to the ground, dunking his bare feet into the icy waters and swinging them through the reeds below the surface.
Looking out across the lake he began thinking through the argument. It was foolish really, he saw that now. He'd just wanted to take Lily on a date to the Shrieking Shack. She'd shouted and ranted for hours about how it wasn't safe and that he shouldn't go there are at all, at which point he'd let slip about how often he and his friends visited. He hadn't revealed why but Remus quickly interjected and sided with Lily. He told James to stop being such an idiot and to take Lily on a proper date, like a nice picnic. So cliché, totally not James' style.
The final straw was Lily saying that she wouldn't go on a date with him. Ever. Anywhere.
He imagined her cuddled up with him now. In warm winter clothing, maybe wrapped in a blanket together. He imagined how beautiful her green eyes would look reflecting the moonlight. And how nice her pale skin would look with cold rosy cheeks. He imagined...Something tickling his foot? Sucking his toes?
He jumped up, quickly backing away from the water. Were those EYES he could see? Bubbles appeared on the surface and the lake took on a vague purple tinge. James had heard about the giant squid but never believed it really existed. Could that be what he was seeing? He had just thought it was a magical myth, like the muggles and their 'Loch Ness Monster' that Lily had told him about. Perhaps it was the same thing? They were in Scotland somewhere after all.
The squid lifted its head above the water and winked. James stared, open mouthed. It winked again, sliding a tentacle onto the walkway in front of James. It flicked the end a few times, trying to attract attention. James closed his mouth, slowly bent down, took the tentacle in his hand and shook it. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it but he was fairly certain the squids eyes were not impressed. It flicked the tentacle towards James' foot and tickled again with a hopeful look in its eyes.
And James ran. He transformed into the stag and ran as fast as he could back to castle, silently squealing with joy. He just had to tell Remus, Sirius and Peter about this. They just had to know the Giant Squid was real. Perhaps they could all sneak out another night and try to capture it.
The squid blinked at the disappearing figure and slid dejectedly below the surface, tickling its tentacle against the reeds.