The Rise and Fall of James Potter

Disclaimer: None of the characters, places, etc. that you recognize are mine. They belong to J. K. Rowling. The title, the title of each chapter, and the inspiration for this story are all from David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. So all of that belongs to David Bowie.

Chapter Nine: Ziggy Stardust


For those few brief moments, I was in heaven. What I'd been dreaming of for five years was actually happening. Then, she pulled away, her green eyes wide with shock. I stared back at her, feeling pretty astonished myself, not just at my boldness but at the amount of time if took her to pull away.

She stared at me for a second, then turned and began to quickly walk away. I remained where I was. Halfway down the hallway she stopped, turned, and stormed back in front of me. She raised her hand to slap me, and I braced myself, well aware of how hard she could hit. Then, she thought better of it, lowered her hand, and me hard in the gut instead. Then, she turned on her heel and walked away.


What the bloody hell is going on in the world?!

And why are James Potter's lips so soft?


Sirius found me about ten minutes later, still rooted to the same spot. "I just kissed Lily."

"Yeah, and I'm moving back in with my parents," he scoffed. Then he stared for a moment, bewildered. "Wait, you're serious?" I simply nodded, a wide grin having taken up permanent residence on my face. "Damn. I owe Wormtail a galleon."


"Okay, Nora, I have to tell you something, and you have to promise not to say anything, okay?" She nodded as I threw myself on my bed dramatically. I took a deep breath and said quietly, "James kissed me." Her eyes widened, and I continued in even more of a whisper, "And I may have kissed him back."

She smiled and clapped her hands in excitement. "Well?" I looked at her, waiting for a response. "Say something!"

"You told me not to."

"And when do I ever mean what I say?"

"Apparently not often."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, last year you said, and I quote, 'If Potter ever tries to make a move on me, I'll rip off his genitals.'" Suddenly she looked fearful. "Oh Lily, tell me you didn't! You'll need those one day!"

"No, of course not," I sighed. "I did punch him though."

"Well that's better, I suppose." She paused. "But you kissed him back?" I nodded. "How was it?"

I groaned. "It was freaking amazing!"


"It was freaking amazing! She actually kissed me back!"

"Prongs, exactly how long are you going to keep talking about this?" Remus asked in a bored tone.

"At least another 37 minutes, so get comfy."

Sirius rolled his eyes and mimed hanging himself with his tie. "Oh come on guys. This is the greatest moment of my life, could you at least try not to mock me?"

"Where's the fun in that?"


Now it was my turn to avoid James. I would sprint to my classes, even taking longer routes sometimes just so I wouldn't run into him. Another quidditch game was coming up, fortunately, so his time was well occupied.

My head was still spinning from that kiss. It was fantastic, and the worst part was that I wanted him to do it again. It was strange, but after five years it seemed that it had finally happened.

I had fallen for James Potter.


My ecstasy at my moment with Lily was short lived.

Only a few days later I received a letter from my mum. I wasn't concerned at all, as she did write me quite often. Then, as my eyes scrolled down the page, I began to frown.

"Prongs, you all right?" Sirius asked, waving a hand in front of me. I must have been reading it very slowly.

I stared at the letter, my brow furrowed. "My dad's ill."

"What?" Sirius swooped in to read the letter, and I saw the storm clouds enter his irises as he saw my mother's words. "Well, she did say not to worry," he said, clearly not listening to his own words as concern draped across his face.

"Yeah, I guess."


Sitting at the Quidditch game that weekend, I just happened to notice that James seemed a little off.

Okay fine, I was shamelessly staring at him.

Either way, as I watched the game I saw a constant frown had taken up residence on his face, and he didn't seem as concentrated as he normally did during games. It was like he'd zone out every so often… it was all very un-James-like.


I knew as I was flying that I was more than a little distracted. We'd been playing only a half hour and I'd missed two passes, something that hasn't happened since I was a second year. I hated myself for doing it, but I couldn't help but worry. My father wasn't a young man, who knows how well he can fight off a disease.

But I have to stop thinking about it. I'd pay better attention.

Okay, focus on quaffle, focus on quaffle.

Shit! I really have to learn to pay better…

Damn.


We lost.

For the first time in two years, since James has been captain, Gryffindor had lost a game of Quidditch.

I was disappointed, to be sure, but I didn't think it was such a big deal. We'd just have to try harder next time, right?

Then, as the crowds flowed out of the stadium, I began listening to the grumbling of disgruntled Gryffindors around me. They were all complaining that now our place in the finals was ruined; if we didn't win by at least three hundred points, we'd be done.

I'd never known there was so much involved in winning the Quidditch cup each year. I felt terrible for the poor Gryffindor team; they must've been kicking themselves over this loss. But oddly enough, it wasn't the team people were angry with.

It was James.


A/N: Okay, I realize it's been a REALLY long time since I last updated. A mixture of writer's block, tests, papers, and extreme sleep deprivation are to blame. And of course, my incredible ability to procrastinate (seriously, I've been meaning to take the skill on the road, but never really got around to it…).

You can also blame me! (Even though your favorite author will soon be shouting her thanks to me from the rooftops! Hint hint…) Seriously though, all my fault. Send all flames in my direction. -HuggingBother