Let it be known that I give full credit for the basis of my ideas to J.K. Rowling, who I must say is utterly brilliant in her work.
In my yearning for more after I concluded in reading the 7th book I decided to come to fictionpress with the sole purpose to read other's works. But I found I only wanted to write my own story.
For those of you who have not yet finished in reading the 7th book I ask you not to read further. For I would hate to ruin the wonderful plot J.K. Rowling has laid out for you in the chapters ahead.
Yet again, I give full credit to J.K. Rowling for my ideas. The purpose of this story is only to perhaps better my writing, and made provided entertainment for a few others.
I do hope you enjoy. [Rating might change for later chapters, but I'll let you know. ;D
It was something that started out as just the innocent act of James Potter watching the girl from slytherin house read in the dim light of the library. But when her deep dark brown eyes met his lighter ones they both knew it wouldn't stay that way. It would become something they would have to hide from their families. Something they would hide from their best friends. Something they both knew could never last forever. She was a Greyback, rumored to be a werewolf herself since she had been raised by them. Relative to the very werewolf who mauled Bill Weasley, his own uncle. And that was only the beginning of their problems. It couldn't work, it never would. But no one had to find out about what happened between the two inside the walls of Hogwarts. Unless, of course, someone found out.
Chapter 1 - - - Enchanted Encounters
As James left the Great Hall in a mass of other students he could hear his brother Al calling out his name. But his bet with Al would have to remain unresolved as he was determined not to let his prey out of his sight. If she was bound for the library on the fourth floor then he was going to follow her.
But unlike his sorry ass, Rose Weasley was on Al's side. She always had been. Even in his 7th year James wasn't swift enough to undo the hot-air charm that melted his trainers to the floor before he was trapped. Rose stepped in front of him with her arms folded in front of her and a smug look on her face. She had never looked more like Hermione than she did at that moment.
"You know, I should really make copies of that picture of you dancing around in the Crumpled Horned Snorkack costume Aunt Luna made for you when you were 7." James began to threaten.
But Al threw his arm around his disgruntled brother's shoulder and tisked loudly. "You really shouldn't threaten us James. After all we are prefects and at the head of our year. Even if we are 5th years, I could still put a good word in for you for a detention. Now about that bet–"
"I know, I know. 20 galleons." James quickly dung the money out of his pockets and thrust it into Al's open hands. "Now," He said turning to Rose. "Would you please un-melt me?" Rose rolled her eyes and with a quick wave of her wand he was unstuck.
"What's your hurry?" Al questioned. But James ignored him and quickly looked around the entrance hall in search of that familiar figure. But he had lost her. Swearing to himself he shoved a small first-year out of his way and ran up the stairs. He was certain she had headed this direction. When he finally reached the fourth floor corridor and jogged towards the library doors. As he reached them Madam Pince was walking out. When she saw James the look on her face soured.
"And what can I help you with this evening Mr. Potter? The library is closing."
James knew she had to be in there. She stayed after closing all the time. "Madam Pince I was a total dung brain and didn't write this paper for Transfiguration over the break. Professor McGonagall will murder me if I don't–"
Madam Pince held up her hands to cut him off, she turned and muttered an incantation James knew wasn't Alohomora to unlock the door. "Say no more Potter. It seems you aren't the only student Minerva would be murdering tomorrow if I didn't allow you use of the library." She turned and began walking down the corridor leaving James stand there as if he had been confunded. After all the trouble he had given her these past years? It really did pay off to be Harry Potter's first-born. "Remind Miss Greyback to lock up after the two of you are done James." Madam Pince called after him as he slipped into the library.
Carefully James closed the door behind himself so that it didn't slam shut as he often made it do to peeve old Pincey. The library was so much darker than usual but James could see a brighter light coming from a group of tables concealed by a row of books with enormously thick spines. He slowly crossed the stone floor to the other side of the library where he took cover behind the crowded shelves.
He slid along carefully until he found a dusty gap between two Gilderoy Lockhart novels. And there she was. Even more beautiful than the last time he gazed at her across the Great Hall where she had sat at the feast with her fellow Slytherins. He felt a smile creep across his face as he leaned into the shelf and rested his head on his arm. How many times had he done this over the past seven years? Too many to count. How many hours had he spent looking at her? They were countless.
And even after seven years going to school with her all he had ever learned about was her name. Fern. Well, that was all he had ever learned that he knew to be true. It was rumored that she had been raised by werewolves. But he had never gotten a solid answer to whether or not she was one. Other than the fact that she might be a werewolf James knew very little about her. They had been in Potions together up until he dropped the course in his sixth year. Even over hearing her conversations was a rarity, as she had always been very quiet in class.
James knew she had many close friends, but all of them were slytherins. One of them, to his highest displeasure, was none other than Scorpius Malfloy. Who, according to his Uncle Ron, was just as much as twitchy little ferret as his father Draco had been in school. In fact most of Fern's friends were despicable, but she was different. James often wondered whether the Sorting Hat had been wrong in placing her.
James stood there watching her intently scan the pages of Enchanted Encounters by Fifi LaFolle for only a few minutes until he heard the quiet meow of a cat. James looked down at his feet to see Mrs. Norris purring and rubbing up against his legs. This was actually a good sign seeing as she hadn't run off to tell Filch about two students in the library. Then again, James had often fed her scraps of bacon during breakfast all these years her loyalty was a nice thing to have.
When James looked back up to gaze upon Fern she was gone. Enchanted Encounters laid open on the table she had previously inhabited. He leaned further into the book case to search for her.
"You know if you put your head any further in there you might get stuck."
As James leaped back from the shelf he accidentally stepped on Mrs. Norris who hissed at him and ran off. He was shocked to see Fern leaning up against the bookcase next to him looking totally nonchalant. It was as if she caught Gryffindor boys staring at her through the books in the library everyday. Her dark brown hair hung down passed her shoulders. She pushed it behind her ears and folded her arms tightly across her chest. Then she just stood there looking at him expectantly.
"I… um … was just looking for this." He stuttered grabbing a random book off the shelf and holding it out so she could get a close look at it.
She leaned close to him and read the title aloud. "Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart, a most peculiar selection I must say." She took the book from him and studied it. "Are you interested in mystical creatures Potter? Because if you are, may I suggest Lockhart's most captivating tale, Wanderings with Werewolves?" She pulled a second book off the shelf and thrust it at James's chest rather maliciously.
James wasn't sure what to say. Fern seemed rather pissed off at him for being in the library, but he wasn't sure why. "Actually I'm not interested in mystical creatures." He managed to say as she placed both of the grimy books back on the shelf where their proper places were marked with a heavy coat of dust.
"Oh really?!" Fern began raising her voice slightly. "Well you know what?! I'm getting pretty tired of you Gryffindors staring at me as if I'll turn into a werewolf before your eyes!" James gulped as Fern took a few steps towards him backing him into a wall. It wasn't such a terrible thing really, he was close enough to smell her sweet aroma. If he had really wanted to he could have kissed her. Not that he didn't really want to.
But he was thrown from his thoughts when she grabbed the front of his school robes in her fists. "Then you come in here after using your high place in society to get in after hours to bother me!"
James was taken aback. "My high place in society?"
"Yeah, just because you are the son of Harry Potter you think you can get everything you want! And you're not even half as bad as your brother Albus!" James could hear the pure hatred in her voice
Nevertheless she had gone a little too far for James' liking, trashing his family like that, and he was going to have to put her in her place. "Now you listen here." He placed his own hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from him back into the books. "Don't you dare talk about my family like that!. You hear me?!"
James had her pinned into the shelf. His arms were braced on either side of her head. As he stared down at her breathing heavily the look on her face began to soften. Then she opened her mouth to speak.
"Am I interrupting your little meeting?" Asked a wheezy voice from the end of the isle. Both teenagers looked to see Argus Filch staring down at them holding a lantern in front of him with Mrs. Norris sitting at his legs. James stepped way from Fern and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"No, Mr. Filch." Said Fern sweetly as if they had just been yelling at each other.. "Potter here was just leaving." Filch grunted and limped away. Fern turned sharply on her heel and didn't glance back at James as she spoke. "You and everyone else better leave me alone Potter. I don't want to accidentally forget my potion on the full moon." Even after their little argument James couldn't help but stare at Fern's rather curvy backside as she disappeared behind the book shelf. He shook his head and walked out of the library just as quietly as he had walked in, so he wouldn't disturb her any further.
When he reached the Gryffindor common room he fell into his favorite chair besides the fire. It was still only 9:30 and there was still a lot of people around so James couldn't really be alone with his thoughts. He let out a long sigh and gazed into the welcoming flames of the fire as they danced spreading warmth throughout the room.
Just as he stretched out comfortably before the fire suddenly something dropped into his lap. When he looked down he saw a miniature of a phoenix slowing making a nest for itself in his school robes. Almost growling he plucked the small figure off his robes and threw it across the room. "I swear, Reva. Do you know how annoying you and your little joke shop toys are?"
A red-headed female popped up from behind the chair and frowned down at him. "I'm Vera not Reva."
When a second red-head appeared on the other side of the chair James ran his hand in frustration threw his own fiery locks. "You insult us James Potter. Our own flesh and blood and even you cannot tell us apart! Besides Vera's thing is phoenixes, I have found I always prefer–"
"I'm sorry I mixed you up again, ok?! It's not my fault Uncle George made your names anagrams of each other!"
The twins gave each other a look and then shrugged. As they turned around he heard Reva, or maybe it was Vera, muttering something about not knowing what a bloody anagram was. James let out another long frustrated sigh. He hadn't meant to snap at the twins, he was just angry about what happened in the library. After all these years and Fern just thought he was like everyone else. He stared into the fire for a few more minutes before he trudged up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.
Throwing himself onto his four-poster bed he laid face down into the scarlet pillow. He stayed there deeply breathing for some time until her heard the door open. "James, you'll never guess what just happened to me!"
James turned his face to the side to see his best friend plop down on the bed to his right. Colin Longbottom, whose dark hair had grown rather long over the summer, knew James better than anyone else in Hogwarts, apart from Al and Lily. And in turn James knew Colin as well as a brother. So, he could only guess that whatever had happened to Colin had something to do with a girl.
When James didn't responded Colin tried again to get his attention. "Well, I was coming out of the greenhouses after talking to my dad about mutations in my Granddad's dirigible plums. And guess who was walking across the lawn at that very moment."
"Who?" Asked James who only answered so that Colin might leave him alone. He really didn't feel like being bothered at moment seeing as he felt like a huge pile of dung.
"Aurora Thomas!! You see, I had heard that she and Castor Macmillan ended it over the summer and I made my move!" He fell back onto his bed and started humming to himself.
"And…?" James asked sitting up. He hated when Colin never gave him the details.
"And what? There's not a lot to it besides the fact that me and Aurora Thomas just had a major snog fest in the corridor!" He placed his hands behind himself and sat up again so he could see James. "I always knew Ravenclawes would be great kissers. Anyway… what's up with you?"
The news about Aurora didn't really surprise James. Unlike both of his parents while they attended Hogwarts, Colin was incredibly popular. Especially with the ladies.
There was no way James could tell Colin what was going on. He would never understand. Besides, he had kept his obsession with the supposed werewolf a secret for so long why tell anyone now?
"Just looking forward to another superb year at Hogwarts, that's all." He muttered before laying back down and turning his back to Colin. All James wanted was to sink into one of his pleasant dreams. Dreams that had absolutely nothing else to do with anyone but him and Fern.
