Every Beast Has Their Beauty
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. I do not own any of her work.
Author's Note: Well, it's official. I really suck and I have no valid excuse for why I haven't posted in FOREVER. I have made a resolution that I will post one chapter at least once a month, no matter how long.
Now, on another note, I, along with my friends Steph and Morgan, have created a Harry Potter Role Play site. We have just officially opened it up to the public and we would LOVE for you to come check it out! It has been a blast already and we are always looking for writers! Don't hesitate to PM me for more information! The link is on my profile! For any of you who haven't RPed before, it really is a wonderful experience and I challenge you to at least come check it out for a little while to see if you like it 3
Thank you to all of the reviews from Dramione Bartowski-Hallwell, musingmarauder, mylittleredboots, Haruhi-chan131, and guest! I really do appreciate all of the reviews and I do hope you continue to stay with me as I write this!
Chapter 10: Falling Apart
Friday, September 1
There was a point in one's life when they realized that everything was falling together perfectly in place. They would wake up next to the one person they felt they couldn't live without, they would have that perfect little family living in that dream home hidden behind that white picket fence. Grandparents would spoil the children, giving them sweets before sending them back home, and the children would play outside until the dusk came about. The sounds of laughter would fill the air as worry would be far from the minds of those around. Everything, after years of hard work and dedication would pay off, letting contentment take over the situation. The fight would be well worth it as the nightmares of the stress would begin to fade.
This was not that point in his life. In fact, James honestly felt that that was a load of rubbish and that people who believed that one day, everything would be this picture of perfection, were off of their bloody rockers. It seemed like no matter how much hard work and dedication was put into anything, only about a dozen more problems would occur, leaving the person constantly in a fit of despair, trying to figure out how to accomplish all of the tasks necessary. With the one thing that he thought mattered most in his life gone, he was at a low point, desperately wanting to reverse time to fix the mess.
Unfortunately, not everything could be corrected by repeating history and not everyone had all of the answers. He wasn't even at his mid-life crisis acceptable age, and already he was matured beyond his years, feeling like his life was already over.
A week had passed since his best friend's sister had disappeared, finding no hint as to where she was or what she had discovered. Although he wanted to help try to find her, he was, once again, stuck in the limitations of the Muggle world, unable to accomplish anything useful. Before, being stuck in the Muggle world with no hopes of completing magic had been frustrating. Now, it was downright depressing. A part of him was struggling to not put the blame on Muggles, but it was a battle he was fighting. James knew it was wrong to become bitter at the Muggles for not having magic, but it really did no good to him now that he felt like he was handicapped.
People he loved needed him and he was…doing nothing. Well, he was doing something, he shrugged to himself as he maneuvered his body out of the bed, trying not to wake the woman that was still sleeping in his bed. It was late, he knew, but he owned the bloody company.
Rubbing his eyes from his lack of sleep, James grabbed his glasses and silently put them over his eyes. Blinking away from the light that was filling the room, he glanced at the time before making his way lazily to the shower. Approximately forty minutes had passed before the dark haired man finally dragged himself out of the now cool water, the hot water long gone. Water glistening off of his body, he slowly dried off, having no real desire to be anywhere or do anything of importance. It wasn't like things bloody mattered anymore, he thought to himself bitterly. He had the suite to himself, both Sirius and Remus gone to be useful.
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he made his way to the kitchen, noticing that the bint was still asleep on the bed. Lazily moving about, he started a pot of coffee before going off to dress in whatever had been laid out from the night before. To him, everything seemed so routine, as if everything he did no longer mattered. Remus blamed it on him settling into some sort of depression, to which James just laughed off, not at all amused by the assessment. He was too bloody young to be depressed. He was just angry and he had every right to be angry at the way his life was turning out. His best friend's sister was gone, he was working with a ridiculous redheaded bint who he wasn't allowed to fire, and his friends were gone. His magic was ripped away from him, and he was pathetically useless, something he was definitely not used to. Before all of this, he was somebody. People knew his name and he was happy. He was great at magic and he had everything falling into place like people could only wish about.
Now, he felt like he had nothing. Rather, he felt like that was the path of his life now. Soon, he would lose his friends, too, as they couldn't stay here. They deserved better than this hellhole that James now belonged to. Again, he found himself dangerously close to blaming Muggles for his problems, which he knew was logically incorrect. However, the thoughts were still annoyingly there. Too caught up in his thoughts, he hadn't heard the woman in the room until a pair of arms were wrapping around his midsection, a face burying into his muscled back.
"Good morning, baby," a feminine voice stated, coming from the dark haired woman that was now pulling away to come around to see him. "Sleep well?" she asked, grinning widely, joy clear in her eyes.
"Fantastic," he answered disinterestedly as he reached to straighten out his collar of the shirt he had just thrown on. "I'll be leaving in five minutes," he stated offhandedly, indicating that she was to be ready to leave before then. Honestly, he couldn't even remember her name, not that it mattered. It never mattered to them, either. They were all the bloody same, wanting to only be able to say that they had a night with a bachelor, someone who was wealthy and good looking. Of course, some hoped he would fall madly in love with them, which was absolutely absurd.
"Do you need anything, babe?" she continued, leaning against the wall as she unashamedly flaunted her nearly nude body to him.
James didn't answer for a moment, choosing out a tie to carelessly throw over his shoulder before pulling his socks on. What he needed was to be back where he belonged, with the world that he had known his whole life. What good could he possibly be to the world without his magic? It was like telling him he had to relearn everything he had ever known in almost a different manner, if that even made sense. Realizing he had waited a moment longer than was socially acceptable, he glanced up at her briefly. "No," he stated before stalking back to his coffee, preparing his portable cup. He really hoped she was going to be ready to leave in a few minutes as he had no intention of letting her stay in his place when no one was home. "Two minutes," he called out from the kitchen, slipping his shoes on and placing the items needed into his briefcase.
A few moments passed before he was waiting at the door, briefcase in one hand, coffee in the other, looking at the watch on his wrist. To his great irritation, she was not waiting at the front like he had suggested. Well, at least he thought that's what he hinted at when he told her to be ready. Before he called out to her though, she was coming around the corner, heels in her hands and dress barely covering her. Casting a quick glace over her, he opened the door and waited for her to exit. Sauntering past, the woman reached up, wrapping an arm around his neck as she leaned up to bring her lips to his. James kissed back, begrudgingly, for a moment before pulling away, forcing a smile on his face. "Have to go to work," he stated, not at all in the mood at the moment. He was already running a few hours late, missed meetings and a lunch date. Hopefully his assistant knew how to deal with that situation, he pondered, slightly amused. Somehow, he did not see the uptight redhead as approving.
The brunette sighed, clearly frustrated that she was not getting what she desperately wanted before she stalked out of the home. Rolling his eyes at her minor tantrum, James glance about the house briefly, his eyes lingering over the windows before finally locking up.
This wasn't how his life was supposed to turn out, James grumbled to himself as he made his way to the office. He was supposed to be a wealthy Auror who married whoever he wanted and possibly had a brat or two running about. Well, soon, anyways. He was supposed to be looked up to, leading others in the way that they were supposed to go and yet, he was here, doing who knew what. His life was over and it barely began, he accepted.
Before he knew how it happened, he was taking the elevator up to his office, barely even acknowledging anyone he had passed by. He knew he had a million and one things to do, the missed phone calls and the many e-mails indicating such, but for once, he just didn't feel like checking that information until he was at the office. Finally, he arrived…but he really wished he hadn't.
There to greet him was a very angry redheaded woman, her green eyes flaring at him. If looks could kill, he would probably be well on his way, he mused to himself as he stalked by her without a word. He definitely was not in the mood for whatever was stuck up her arse, which seemed to be a daily occurrence for her. The second he stepped into his office, he shut the door and glance about the office. Sighing, James made his way to his desk, slowly putting his briefcase against the desk. The briefcase had barely touched the desk before his door was bursting open, a breeze blowing a few pages off of his desk and a fuming redheaded woman stepping inside.
"And where have you been? You have missed a meeting with George at 8:00 A.M. You missed another meeting at 9:30. Then, you had a coffee date with Praxley at 11:00. Then, did you forget about your meeting with the board of directors at 12:30? I had to have a meeting with them and protect your arse because they are fed up with your behavior in the past week. And quite frankly, so am I. Where is your head? Too busy gallivanting about, being the savior to vulnerable women who are so insecure about themselves that they actually pursue someone in the likes of you? I don't know if you've realized, [i]Mr. Potter[/i], but you have something called responsibilities. It happens when you are in your position of a company. Now, are you going to actually lead this company or are you going to continue being your immature self, a prat, simply because you're a boy who has never grown up? Too bloody spoiled for your own good. You hired an assistant, not someone who was going to fill your shoes because you had one too many. Oh, and you're welcome. You received a phone call today from your biggest potential customer but oh wait, [i]you weren't here to sell to them[/i]. I should have just told them that they wouldn't want to work with an arse like you. Instead, we will be meeting with them next week if you can pull your fat arse out of bed and do something useful," she ranted, irritated from her stressful day of having to not only take on her responsibilities, but to also take on his, which was really a lot more than she had ever expected.
Lily's small arms crossed her chest and her foot tapped angrily against the floor, the door slowly closing behind her as she waited for his response. It was like she was working for a child, having to clean up his messes because he was given a task he wasn't prepared for. However, she did feel that James was adequately prepared, just too daft to realize what he had in front of him.
James quirked an eyebrow as the woman began to rant, seeing the frustration pour off of her. As she continued though, he found himself growing irritated at her boldness, not really in the mood for her ridiculousness. If he wanted an opinion on how he ran things, he would bloody ask Sirius or Remus, not some woman who he was desperate to fire as soon as he was allowed. Honestly, they had to hire the most obnoxious woman on the planet and force him to keep her. At least the one's prior to her were shagable, and not nearly as cranky all of the time. It was like she undermined his every decision or move when HE was her bloody boss.
"Are you done?" he asked, his jaw clenched together tightly.
"Yes," she shot out quickly before changing her mind. "No, I'm not bloody done. It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon and you've been gone all day. Why even come in if you aren't going to lead? You have been slacking all week long. I don't know what's on your bloody mind, or if you always get this depressed when your girlfriends, Sirius and Remus, aren't around, but you need to pull yourself together. All week, I have been cleaning up after your bloody messes and all week, you have been walking around like some lazy zombie, doing a half-assed job at everything. Pull yourself together. Are you a leader or are you not, Mr. Potter? If not, then I am walking right out of those doors and you can run your company to the ground on your bloody own."
By now, Lily was breathing slightly heavy, having not taken a breath during her long rant at her boss. This was all just very frustrating. It was like he was a completely different person this week, though both of his selves were wankers. She would be stupid if she hadn't noticed that something else was on his mind, but that didn't mean he could just stop his responsibilities because he had other things on his mind. He needed to focus on what he had.
"Keeping tabs on me now?" James merely asked, leaning against his desk, crossing his own arms across his chest while he watched his personal assistant.
"I'm your assistant. It's what I was hired to do," she grumbled through clenched teeth, irritated that THAT was what he commented on.
"False. You were hired to be my assistant. If I'm not here, and you are, that means you assist me by taking what I missed. In this case, going to those meetings, having those phone calls, or drinking a coffee. You have my schedule. You have your schedule. If I am otherwise preoccupied with more important matters, that means you just earned yourself the privilege of being me for a day. Now, I didn't hire you. Remus and Sirius seemed to think they could try their hand at hiring and they clearly hired someone who is incapable of accomplishing the duties and tasks at hand. If this is too much work for you and you find that you are incapable of being useful, then feel free to terminate your employment, Ms. Evans. I'll be sure to tell Remus and Sirius that you tried your very hardest," he stated, really wishing she would just quit. He was tired of hearing these arguments from himself; he really didn't need to hear them from her. Besides, she had absolutely no right to talk to him like that as she was just his bloody assistant.
Lily took an angered step forward, her eyes narrowing at the bloke. "Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you? You want to blame your behavior on me? What, can't own up for your failures? Want to hire an assistant that is stupid enough to get near you? Irritated that I don't just sit by and watch you destroy yourself for whatever reason you see fit? Honestly, Potter, grow up. I don't know how you got this position, but it certainly can't be because you sit on your arse all day doing who knows what with who knows who. I'm your bloody assistant, not your slave," she finished, her irritation growing at this man. He seemed to have been given so much and yet, he was so willing to throw it all away for nothing. He was a spoiled brat that apparently didn't know what it was like to not get his way ever.
Normally, she didn't have a problem listening to her employer, following their guidance and direction. However, Mr. Potter seemed to just be in his own world doing his own thing whenever he wanted and expecting people to just bow down to him. He was a pompous prick and she was not going to stand by and let even her boss try to dictate those around him because he had identity issues.
"I'd be very careful with your choice of words, Ms. Evans," he shot back, coming a step away from the desk, closer towards her. "You know what you know about me from the tabloids, the magazines…false sources, if you will. The tabloids know what I tell it to know which means your knowledge base, sweetheart, is based on what I allow you to know. If you want to stand there and think you're some almighty good-to-mankind angel, feel free. But as long as you work here, as my personal assistant, you will do as I say and when I say. You're not my boss. The roles are quite reversed, Ms. Evans. You're stepping out of line right now and I highly recommend you bite your pretty little tongue. You stand there and you judge me but really, it just sounds to me like you're a little jealous. I don't want you here. You don't want to be here. Why are you still here?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her, anticipating her response.
Lily let out a frustrated breath out, her fists clenching in hatred. The snobby rich bloke made her so mad, sitting high up on his pedestal. "Jealous? Why would I possibly be jealous of someone like you, Potter?" she snapped, slightly regretting even coming in here to begin with as clearly, this conversation was getting absolutely nowhere.
James took another step forward, amusement filling his features. "You keep mentioning my reputation…not just in this argument, but in any argument, really. Are you jealous? You want to just stand there and critique me for my decisions or is little miss perfect jealous that she's not getting laid? Maybe if you shut your damn mouth for once, someone might actually be interested, just a tip. But no, you stand there and you yell and you demand responses. You make your judgments thinking that you are entitled to say those damn opinions out loud. You overstep your boundaries time and time again because you think you're so bloody perfect. You don't know me, Evans. Thank Merlin for that. Did you ever stop and think that maybe I find some things more important than work? Ever think that work isn't my top priority? It may be all that you bloody have, since no one can seem to want to stay around you long, but it's not my first priority, not that that is any of your damn business, Ms. Evans," he growled, wishing he just stayed home at this point. The only reason he even showed up to work at all this week was to try to get his mind away from the things that were going on.
Being at home, he was alone as Sirius and Remus were both gone, trying to find Lizzie. Ally and Sahara had taken turns helping them out, so it wasn't like he had any distractions other than a little bit of peace he would find when shagging. Even that was failing him lately, leaving him to his own miserable thoughts. He really didn't bloody need to be scolded by his assistant because she was on her time of month. He would have to mark this in his calendar later to make sure he was prepared to stay away from his office the next time her tantrum rolled around.
Lily let out a frustrated noise, stepping dangerously close to her employer. "You cannot talk to people that way, James," she snarled, anger flaring as she looked up at him. "I am not one of your prostitutes that you can treat like garbage, getting rid of me when you've had your fill. I bloody date, you twit," she defended, not really confident in her own childish response to that. "Not that THAT is any of your concern. I would be daft if I wanted to be one of the girl's you shagged and dropped like a bloody bad habit, leaving them yearning for whatever it is you provide them. You probably pay them to say that you're good. Sorry, I should have known your reputation was your bloody first priority," Lily spat.
Her parents would definitely be ashamed if they saw her right now, she noted briefly, before refocusing on the conversation.
James looked at Lily for a moment, glaring at her for her words. She was acting like a bloody princess and he was mad that he was forced to hire her. Honestly, they couldn't hire someone who didn't talk back so much? Instead, they had to stress him out with this redhead who couldn't keep her trap shut long enough for him to even think anymore. Even when she was silent, he felt like he could hear her shouting at him, cursing for him for whatever she thought was the wrong thing to do.
"You don't know me, Evans," he finally stated, his eyes dark in hatred at this woman. He had never grown to dislike a woman so much as he was quickly finding himself disliking this one.
"Because you don't bloody let anyone know you outside of your little group of friends. Why is that? Scared to get hurt? Scared to have someone actually tell you when you're being a prat? Afraid someone will see how horrible you really are and leave? Which is it? Hmm?" she asked, refusing to budge from her stance even as she realized they were standing awfully close. To her, stepping back would be admitting defeat and she was way too stubborn to ever admit something of that nonsense.
"Do you ever shut up?" James asked exasperated by this conversation, confused why she was even still going on.
"No," Lily replied guiltily, shrugging slightly. "It's a terrible habit…I argue everything…terribly stubborn. I'm never satisfied and I like to get my way…especially when people irritate me. But…I just always have to have the last word….always…and I have a habit of stepping out of line," she rambled on.
James snorted lightly, rolling his eyes before his hand slipped behind her neck, crashing his lips down upon hers, knowing that it would shut her up. Of course, it would probably earn him a smack, but at least it would get her to stop bloody yelling at him.
The moment his lips touched upon hers, Lily temporarily froze, not exactly sure what to do. It certainly wasn't what she was expecting, and she certainly hadn't been expecting her kissing him back. Involuntarily, she took a step closer to him, one hand reaching up to the side of his face, snogging him back softly.
Just as soon as the kiss began, it ended, James pulling his lips back slightly. It had been the heat of a moment decision, and now it was over. Luckily for him, she wasn't hitting him or calling Human Resources to file a complaint…yet. Instead, she kissed back, which had definitely been pleasant. In all honesty, he hadn't been expecting her to be a decent kisser, thinking she was far too uptight to have ever even kissed a bloke.
A lopsided grin appeared on James' face as he took a step back. "Well, glad we settled that," he laughed, walking back to his desk. "You're not half bad for a nun," he joked, winking at her before looking down at his schedule. "Get back to work, Ms. Evans," he stated, moving on as if nothing happened.
Lily stood there shocked for a moment, not really sure if she had heard his words accurately. He was kissing her, and then he wasn't, acting completely normal. Shouldn't they talk about this? Did he honestly just kiss her just because he felt like it? [i]Oh, bloody hell, of course he did, Lily. It's bloody James Potter, man-whore,[/i] she thought to herself, slightly angry that she had even briefly thought that there was something different there.
"Do your work so I don't have to, Potter," she stating sharply, turning on her heel and exiting his office.