Chapter 4: Bloody Hell

I do not own Harry Potter

"I am not!", James exclaimed as he made his way up to the fifth year's dormitory.

"Yes you are James! Just admit it!", Fred insisted, closely behind him.

The people around them turned to look at the pair. The two cousins/best friends rearly disagreed or argued, this however was something way beyond a prank.

Earlier that morning

Herbology was not as fun as usual that day. There were no cool plants involved only some notes and a few pages to read from their book. James' eyes wondered around the greenhouse. The hot sun was shining outside, making everything warmer than usual. Red and yellow ties hung around the students' necks and their vests were hung around their chairs. Professor Longbottom was seated at the front, scribbling on a piece of paper and occasionally looking up to check on his pupils.

James sigh and looked to his side to see Fred writing out M + F, Mia and Fred, Mia Allen a girl who he had had a crush on since their first year. He smirked and rolled his eyes, changing his focus to the other side of the room. Alice and Kim were seated on a table diagonal from them. Kim seemed to be writing on her parchment while Alice was reading from her book. She turned around and smiled at him, making a grin appear on his face. As she turned back around he noticed how her brown hair swooshed behind her, making different parts shine as the light hit it.

He noticed how when she looked at him there was a glint in her eyes. How she had grown into a more mature body. How she had lost the baby fat and now the cheekbones were more marked. He stared at her as she started pulling her hair up into a ponytail, delicately grabbing strands and then tying them together. The heat had made her take off the tie and vest leaving her in her white shirt. The sleeves were rolled up and the first two buttons were undone, leaving her collarbone exposed. James didn't know when this had happened but Alice had suddenly become really attractive, and sure he was known for being a ladies man but it wasn't with the same eyes that he saw Alice and other girls.

"James?", He felt someone nudge him making his attention snap back to reality.

"Yeah?", Professor Longbottom was looking at him, he felt his worries start up. What if he had caught him staring at his daughter? Maybe he'd expel him! No this was Neville, he was like an uncle to him. But that just left another thought in his mind. Alice was suppose to be like his cousin.

"Did you have a question?", his eyebrows were creased. James shook his head at Neville who turned around after giving him a questioning look.

"Why'd he think I have a question?", He asked Fred.

"You've been staring off into space for the past ten minutes", Fred responded shaking his head.

James looked down again and tried to concentrate on his notes. Soon he found himself drifting off again, only to be nudged a second time by the boy next to him.

"Why Alice?", he asked.

James panicked. How had Fred known he had been thinking about their best friend. Had he known any of the thoughts he'd had?

"W-What?", he stuttered.

"Alice. Why Alice?", he looked down at James' parchment where Alice's name was written in several different designs.

"I- I was just, you know, seeing if I could spell it", he said, hoping that Fred's thickness would appear and he would believe the pathetic cover up.

Fred squinted and raised an eyebrow.

"You fancy Alice", he whispered, a smirk creeping it's way to his face.

"What?", James cursed inwardly at the sudden pitch change his voice had made.

"Yeah! Merlin! James why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I don't", He defended, not only trying to assure Fred but also himself.

"Sure", he laughed a little and looked back down to his own book.

"Look we're just friends!", James whispered frantically.

"Yeah, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were 'Just Friends' and look how that ended up, now they have two oh so smart and marvelous ginger, quidditch playing kids", Fred said.

James rolled his eyes, he opened his mouth to speak but caught sight of Professor Longbottom's disapproving look and closed it.

Fred took the hint and he too returned to his notes.

James sigh. He couldn't, he just couldn't fall for his best friend.

A piece of parchment was placed before him.

Don't deny it. Denial is the first step to realizing you are in love with your best friend.

"I am not!", James exclaimed.

"Yes you are James! Just admit it!", Fred insisted, ignoring the looks from their fellow Gryffindors.

James turned around abruptly as they got to the entrance of their dormitory, making Fred jump back in alarm.

"Say I do fancy her, what would I do. We are as good as cousins and it's not the most common thing for cousins to be dating", he said.

"Teddy and Vic were like cousins", Fred put in.

James ignored the comment and raised another finger.

"Second, Professor Longbottom would kill me"

"Since when have you cared what your Professors think"

"And third", he said raising a third finger, "What exactly do I say to her. 'Oh hullo Alice, particularly dandy morning isn it. So you see I may have just realized that I am in love with you', she'll surely take me seriously", he said sarcastically.

Fred looked stuck on that one, he just moved his mouth trying to find something to say.

"Oh! And one more thing of course! What chances do I have!", he exclaimed desperately.

"You've never had trouble with girls", Fred said, his voice weakening.

"Alice isn't just another girl. And it doesn't matter anyway! Because I know that I am not denying anything!", he flipped back around and walked into the dormitory.

"That's the second step James Sirius Potter! Denying the denial!", he shouted after him.

A boy walking up the steps gave him a weirded out look.

"What?!", Fred exclaimed, making the boy walk faster in his direction of travel.

Fred sigh and walked back down the stairs, making his way to his sister and Louis for a game of exploding snap.

The next day the sun shone through the curtains of James' four poster bed. He groaned and flipped around. He hadn't had much sleep, he was kept up thinking of all that Fred had told him. He had heard him step into the dormitory, chatting with the other four boys before all five of them went to sleep. But James hadn't, he couldn't. And now he regretted it because he knew that it was a waste. With that sudden realization he jumped up, quickly got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall.

He skied through the doors and spotted Fred at the table eating breakfast. He ran to him and jumped into the seat.

Fred looked startled.

"What's the third step?!", James asked frantically.

Fred raised an eyebrow and slowly smirked.

"Realizing you are completely and utterly in love"

"Bloody hell".

Sorry it's so short but the next chapter will be up really, really soon, considering I just have all the ideas bunking up in my head. So yeah!

Follow my next generation account for news on my stories, extra facts, face claims and pictures… next_generation_facts