My name is James Sirius Potter. My father is Harry Potter, the saviour of the wizarding world. My mother is Ginevra Weasley of the legendary Weasley family. I won't lie, there's a lot of pressure having to live up to them, but with fame also comes a certain sort of power.
Women. They fall at my feet. And because of this I've made a set of rules to help me through this mess. No, heaven.
Never call a girl the day on or after she gives me her number. It makes me seem desperate, and I'm not.
I can't see the same girl two days running in a week. E.g. Tuesday and then Wednesday. But Sunday then Monday is okay because of the week change.
None of them can come to family events; I have somebody else for that.
If a girl is genuinely interested in me and not my name, I may give my number out, but never more than three at a time.
I will not have my photo taken with any of them.
I try and always us my room, mainly because I am worried about them filming it and selling a porno movie. But, this rule can be broken if it's not the night.
The rules have one exception and one exception only. My best friend Sophie Malfoy.
Sophie is my absolute best friend. We met at Tilney's. A post-Hogwarts magical school. I've been told that it's like attending a muggle college. I had tried to seduce her and ended up utterly embarrassing myself, in the end I asked her out for a drink. After that, I realised that I wanted her to be my friend, not just somebody that I slept with. Let me describe her; she's got long icy blonde hair, she's about 5 foot 9 and she works at Gringotts.
So, five years later, I am on my way to visit Sophie on her lunch break at Gringotts.
I knock on the staff door and a goblin opens it, I smile and say "Oleg my good man, is Sophie in today?"
He smiled back, for a goblin we got on smashingly, "She's in a meeting with the boss man."
He beckoned me through to a large room that I knew well. I sat on the sofa that I always sat on and summoned the armchair that Sophie always had. I opened a bag I had been carrying and took out two cups. I had a mocha and Sophie had a cappuccino with extra froth, chocolate and a shot of caramel. We had this every day and I was always the one to pick it up.
A door opened and my best friend came through. She smiled and spread her arms, she walked over and hugged me. "James, it's been ages!"
"Yeah, four hours is such a long time." She took her cup and collapsed into an armchair.
"Sophie." I said after a while, a pleading tone to my voice, "Are you free this weekend?"
"Why?" I knew that she knew the answer. After all, I asked the question two or three times a month.
"Mum is having a birthday celebration, and I really need a date."
"James not again, I am so bored of your family and their endless celebrations."
"I know Soph, and so am I, but this is my mum's birthday."
"Why can't you take one of your bimbos?"
I shook my head at Sophie, "Because of the rules."
She stood up and held out her arm, I stood up too and took it. "Fine. But you owe me."
We walked out into Diagon Alley and began our daily routine. Firstly we would visit a little known junk shop near Flourish and Blotts, and then we would head into the muggle world for some Dim Sum in China Town.
We went into the Junk Shop and Sophie immediately squealed. "James look." She ran over blocking my view on whatever it was. I walked over and saw her cooing over a beautiful golden crup.
I knelt down and stroked it, "You're really beautiful aren't you." It licked my face and I laughed, "Ahh, I love you."
I stood up and felt Sophie staring at me, I turned and said, "What?"
"Have you ever said 'I love you' to somebody who's not an animal?" And I had no answer to that.
We left the shop and exited Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, stopping to say hello to Neville Longbottom, my old Herbology teacher. We walked the familiar track to the Chinese. To save time, we booked a table at 1:30 every day I phoned in if we wanted to cancel. Yes, I can use a phone, your looking at somebody who got an E in their Muggle Studies N.E.W.T!
We sat down and ordered. Dim Sum platter for two, it was perfect food. Sophie stared talking and I looked up, "So this party, what do I need to wear? Where is it? Who's going to be there?"
I laughed, "Calm down Sophie. Just wear whatever you want. I'll pick you up. And the Weasley and loved ones."
Loved ones meant people like my god-brother Teddy Lupin, who was married to my cousin Victoire Weasley, Sophie's brother Scorpius who my brother Albus' friend and partner. Work partner that is, Scorpius was in an one and off relationship with another of my cousins Rose, and Albus was still seeing Neville's daughter Alice, who he had been seeing for almost ten years. And that's just the surface of my family.
The food came and Sophie took what she wanted and I took the rest, we ate in silence before Sophie stood up. "Sorry James, but I really need to get back to work. There's a promotion coming up for the first person to finish the American Case." She kissed me on the cheek and hurried out.
A few minutes after she had left, there was a voice to my left. "Excuse me, can I join you?" I looked up to see an attractive muggle girl looking at me. She was about 5 foot 6, long, wavy, brunette hair and large breasts.
"No, sit down."
We talked for a few minutes and I found out she was at somewhere called Imperial College, studying something called Humanitarian Law. Her name was Jennie Smith, which I though was a bit of a dull name; then again she was quite dull.
Anyhow, a few hours later, we were in her bed having just finished a furious session of sex. While not being brilliant, she wasn't too bad. I rolled out of bed, looking around to try and find my clothes. Jennie turned over and pouted, "Can't you stay?"
"Sorry," I replied, "I've got a friend I'm meeting for dinner." In that instance her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, so it's like that." She rolled over. Wordlessly I got dressed and left, how she knew I was meeting another woman I'm not sure, but I'll put it down to a women's prerogative.
The days fluttered past until I was outside Sophie's flat, about to pick her up for my mum's party. I knocked on the door and she opened it, she was dressed in a beautiful pale blue that seemed to shimmer in the light.
"Wow," I didn't quite know what to say, "Sophie, you look amazing." Her eyes were scrutinizing my figure,
"You don't look too bad yourself Potter."
We held hand and apparated together to my parent's house in Godric's Hollow. After the war, my dad had restored the house his parents had died in, until it was the house that I spent my childhood in. We appeared in the backyard where I saw my sister Lily and her boyfriend Alex as well. I winked at Lily before leading Sophie into the house.
I made my way over to my mum and dad. Mum squealed when she saw me and pulled me into a hug, "Happy Birthday mum," I managed to gasp out before she let go.
Mum turned to Sophie and raised her eyebrows; I know she and Sophie had never really got on, mainly to Sophie being a Malfoy. And generally Malfoys and Potters don't mix. "Sophie, it's good to see you again."
Sophie smiled back, "You too Mrs Potter." Then she revealed the present she and I had got mum. Mum thanked us and moved on to greet Lily.
I led Sophie over the bar and ordered two gin and tonics and two puddings off my Uncle Ron (he had drawn the short straw and been dumped on bar duty). We both had sweet teeth and loved tasting each other's food. We sat on some stools and looked out over the dance floor that had appeared in my living room.
"James," Sophie said, "I've got some news to tell you later."
I looked over at her and smiled, she stared back. I moved a bit closer to her, but then, in true Weasley fashion, Uncle Ron butted in with our food and drinks. I had a chocolate gateau and Sophie had strawberry shortcake. I took a mouthful of mine and grimaced, it was dark chocolate, and I hate dark chocolate.
"Sophie." I whined, "I don't like mine, do you want to swap?" Sophie laughed her glorious laugh and replied,
"How is it James that you can choose something right for me, but not for yourself?" Again she left me speechless. To avoid the awkward silence, I took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor.
The band was playing a slow song and we began to dance in time. "James," Sophie whispered into my ear, "I've got to go to America for a month."
"What?"
"If I do then the promotion is mine, and it would really mean the world to me." We stopped dancing and I hugged her close to me.
"Sophie, as much as I'll miss you, it's your life. I'll just have to make do."
And so, the following Tuesday, I waved goodbye to Sophie as she disappeared along with three others at a Portkey station. I turned to go, wondering what on earth I was going to do without her for a month.
Without Sophie in my life, I resorted to meeting up with my family more. I make this sound like a bad thing, but I enjoyed playing Quidditch with a couple of them. But mainly, I resented them for not liking Sophie when they all got on so well with her brother Scorpius.
I sent my owl Ron, named by Lily, to four of my cousins. They were Teddy my cousin-in-law/god brother, Fred my closest male friend, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's son Hugo and Louis, Teddy's wife Victoire's younger brother. I asked them to all meet up with me at Seer's Park, a wizarding park in London where we could play Quidditch without fear of being seen.
We all met up later that day, I arrived last having been in a floo conversation with Sophie. They were all hovering on their brooms; I waved in greeting before mounting my broom and flying over. Fred threw a quaffle at me that I caught and kicked towards Louis.
I found that it was really good playing Quidditch as it took everything else off of my mind. The five of us agreed to meet up most days until Sophie came back and I could have my life back.
However, a week before Sophie was due back; Teddy asked me a question that changed everything. It was just the two of us; we were walking over to his place where I would be having a meal.
"James, do you have feelings for Sophie?" I laughed and said that Teddy was crazy.
"James I'm serious. I know how you feel, Vic and I were friends since she was born before we got together."
I stopped walking and looked up at Teddy. I thought about Sophie and how I felt about her, and really I couldn't deny that I was getting more than friendly feelings when I saw her sometimes. And the last time that I saw her on a date, I felt something akin to jealousy.
"Oh fuck." Was all I managed to get out. We walked back to Teddy's house and when Victoire greeted us I shouted out, "Oh my god! I'm in love with my best friend!"
Victoire looked startled but Teddy filled her in. The two of them took me into their living room and sat me down. As Teddy poured me a firewhiskey, Victoire talked to me about how she and Teddy had come to terms wit their feelings. She explained how they had started getting further apart before Teddy had confessed how he felt. Teddy returned with three drinks and sat down beside his wife. "What I've learnt Jamesie," I grimaced, only when Sophie or Lily called me that did I not mind, "Is 'Carpe Diem', seize the day. We spent too long in denial." Victoire kissed Teddy before heading to prepare dinner.
I stared at the wall for a while, it was covered in pictures, I appeared in a lot and Sophie in a few. Teddy stood and took one off of the wall. He passed it to me and said, "You two look like a couple there." It was the two of us at Teddy and Victoire's wedding. I had my arms around her waist and her head was resting on my shoulder. "What are you going to do James?"
"When she gets back," I paused, "I'm going to tell her how I feel."
And so, the following week, the day before Sophie was due back I received an owl from her telling me to meet her in the Three Broomstick, and that she had some good news to tell me.
The following afternoon, I apparated to Teddy and Victoire's who helped me prepare. Victoire chose my clothes and the flowers I was to give her. Teddy reassured me that everything was going to be okay and she would love me back.
I stood and turned to leave, "James," Victoire said, "Tell us what happens!"
I smiled and apparated to the bar. I walked in and saw Sophie, my heartbeat sped up and I called her name up. She turned and her face lit up, I took out my flowers and walked towards her, she held her hand out and…and!
My world stopped. I saw her hand, on her finger a sparkling ring, not any old ring, an engagement ring. She hugged me and I tried to react, but I couldn't. I felt small and useless.
"James, I have someone I want you to meet." She turned around and held her hand out again, this time a man took it. "Howard, this is my best friend James. James this is my fiancé Howard!"
Shit.
