Lazy Afternoon

It was an unseasonably warm day, though not uncomfortable. The clouds had given way to the sun, as if nature itself was inviting the students out to play and breathe in the fresh air. It wasn't long before the grounds were filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation. The students of Hogwarts were intent on taking advantage of the weather for as long as they could.

James was spread out on his back on the grass beneath the shade of a large tree, looking up and watching as the leaves of the tree moved in the breeze. Sitting with her back against the trunk of the tree a few paces away from him was his cousin Molly. She had a book in her hands, and two more sitting beside her. Every minute or so, she turned the page.

James turned his head towards her, watching her for a while. Her movements were mechanical, he was able to count the seconds between each turn of the page almost exactly, "are you actually reading the book, or are you trying to mess with me?" he asked her. He wasn't sure even their Aunt Hermione could read that fast.

Her eyes briefly looked up from the book, her sharp gaze locking on his before she went back to reading. "What reason would I have to mess with you?" she asked dryly.

"How would I know? You're the one messing with me," he accused with a teasing grin.

She made a quiet noise of amusement, her lips twitching in the beginnings of a smile, but never quite getting there. She didn't offer another reply and soon the pair fell into a somewhat awkward silence.

James returned his attention to the branches above him, absently chewing on his lip. Molly didn't talk much, at least not to him. She had a cold exterior and intelligence beyond her age. She wasn't very expressive and was only ever affectionate with her younger sister, Lucy. When James was younger, he mistook those qualities as a lack of caring on Molly's part, heartlessness. The fact that she had been sorted into Slytherin, the first and only of their family in a long time, didn't help James' view of her. He'd been biased and stubborn, still was and perhaps would always be, and that prevented them from having a friendship until only very recently.

James was slowly getting to know his cousin better, to understand who she really was. She was kind, but guarded, only giving away the information that was necessary and never volunteering her feelings. She was a better listener. She listened and processed every word he and anyone else who spoke to her said. He figured if more people knew her, really knew her, she'd have people coming to her for advice all the time.

"On a day like this, I figured you'd be with your usual crowd," Molly's voice cut into the silence, catching him off guard. He looked over to see her watching him quietly, her book lightly closed over her fingers to keep her place.

He gave her his most charming smile, "maybe I just want to spend the day with my favorite cousin."

"I don't suppose Fred's hiding under the invisibility cloak next to me, is he?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow. She was joking, or at least he thought she was. He was still learning to read her subtle expressions.

"He isn't," James laughed. "I wanted to spend time with you today, honest." Sometimes even James Sirius Potter enjoyed peace and quiet. Sometimes. Rarely. Every once in a blue moon.

"That's nice," she said, her voice quiet and sincere. She didn't go back to her book, observing him with that unreadable expression of hers.

James tried not to squirm under the intense gaze, wondering if she ever blinked. "Er..." he began, trying to fill the silence. "What do you plan on doing after graduation?" at least he hadn't asked about the weather.

"Lots of things," she said.

"Like what?" he pressed. One thing he had learned from their new friendship was that getting more than a sentence at a time out of her was no easy task.

"I'm going to be a rock star," she said, which was about the last thing he expected to come out of her mouth. "In the muggle world."

"But...you can't sing or play an instrument, can you?" at least, he'd never heard of her being able to do so.

"No."

He furrowed his brow, terribly confused, "so then how do you plan to become a rock star?"

"You don't need talent to be famous in the muggle world," she reasoned with a dismissive shrug.

"Oh..." he frowned. He really didn't think that aspiration would work out for her.

She paused, "Merlin, James, can't you tell when someone's messing with you?"

He stared at her in surprise before sitting up and shouting, "you're a real prat, Molly!" His ears turned pink in embarrassment.

She laughed quietly, her hand covering her mouth as she did so. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard her laugh, "sorry, sorry."

He laughed as well, shaking his head at her. She really got him with that one.

"I can't believe you took me seriously," she commented.

"Well, it's hard to tell when you're joking, you know!" James argued, but couldn't bring himself to be mad.

"True," by then she'd composed herself, relaxing her posture against the tree.

"Now, seriously," he said, turning his body to face her. "What are your plans after Hogwarts?"

She thought for a while, "well first, I want to travel the world and meet new people. Hopefully there are people out there that won't find any significance in my last name other than the fact that it reminds them of weasels."

"Yeah?" he considered that, what it would be like. Their family was so well known that they had trouble going anywhere without being recognized. It was suffocating at times, especially for James and his siblings, the children of the famous Boy Who Lived. Though really, his father had become way too old to be called a boy anymore, but the name still stuck to this day. It was hard to imagine, being able to walk around without being stared at, to impress people with his talents alone, rather than his heritage. He picked at the grass, "sounds nice, getting away from all the madness for a while."

"Sounds a lot like running," she mused.

"Do you want to?" he asked, looking up at her, "run, I mean."

She went quiet for a while, "maybe," she admitted.

"Oh..." he said lamely. This conversation was taking his mind down paths he wasn't sure he wanted to take. He was sixteen, far too young to be having an existential crisis. He could see where Molly was coming from, though. It just got so overwhelming sometimes, and daunting when it came to thinking of the future. They were expected to live up to their family's greatness, an obtainable goal.

"'Course, I'm speaking as a pretentious teenager, so I wouldn't put too much thought into it," she shrugged, breaking the mood. He was left staring dumbly at her and wondering if she'd been serious at all.

Molly tilted her head back against the tree and looked upwards. There was another lull in their conversation, Molly seeming to be lost in thought. Just when James was beginning to think that she had forgotten about his presence, she spoke up, "what about you? Going to continue assaulting people on broomsticks once you're done here?" Another joke, Molly was really on a roll today.

He let out a laugh, "yeah, that's definitely Plan A for me." James would love nothing more than to make a career out of the sport that had been his passion since birth. "Or maybe I'll become a rock star, like you."

"We'll start a band," she had that almost smile on her face again. "We'll call it Two Cousins With No Musical Talent."

He grinned, "yes, I'm sure that'll catch on." He looked at her, realizing something, "you know, I think this is the most I've heard you talk in, well, ever."

"Hm. I guess that means I should stop talking," she said, amusement in her voice, "give the universe a chance to regain balance."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, the universe has been thrown into chaos," he said, sitting next to her. He leaned against her, and when she didn't object to it, he made himself comfortable. The two of them were quiet once again, but James wasn't too bothered by it.

Molly moved, resting her head against his. It made him smile. "I'm going to go back to reading," she told him. He opened his mouth to say something, but she was already back to reading at that same ridiculous pace as before.

James left her to it, closing his eyes. He listened to the turning pages until he drifted off to sleep.

A/N: So, not bad for my return to writing. A bit lacking in direction, but some good interaction. I have a lot to relearn and improve on, but I'm real happy with being able to complete this at all. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. :)