Hello lovelies, I'm back. I know one update a month is hardly any, but I'm afraid that it's really the quickest I can go at the moment. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it. Things are starting to happen, I'm chucking in game changers… It's all going down (but hopefully it's not awful!). Anyway. I hope this is okay. If it's not, please don't hate me, just let me know in the reviews. Love you long time, maties. Bg.97 xx
"Good morning," Lizzie greeted cheerfully as she got to her desk at the Daily Prophet.
"Good morning to you too," Ginny smiled. "Enjoy your time off?"
Lizzie nodded. "Immensely. Sorry to have left you on one of the busiest weekends of the year but I was running on empty, and in fairness- it was my brother's 30th birthday."
Ginny waved a hand flippantly. "There's no need to apologise, you needed rest. What did you do to celebrate?"
Lizzie shot Ginny an intentional look which was met with laughter. "So you got rather drunk then?"
Lizzie just smiled; her family and Ginny were some of the only people she could relax enough to socialise with in that way. "Anyway… I've somehow managed to miss all the news, so I don't actually know the results of the match. Care to enlighten me?"
And just as Ginny had done to her previously, Lizzie deciphered the answer through just one single look.
"No way! The Falcons won? That's amazing! Congratulations- you must be so proud," Lizzie squealed as she hugged Ginny tight.
"Aww, thank you, I really am. First big league as Captain and they won."
"Was it a good match?"
"Bloody brilliant. Not a single predictable moment; both teams brought their A game. To be honest, I had resigned myself to the Goblins winning, but those last few minutes were played expertly. I have never been so proud in my life."
Elizabeth's eyes glistened at Ginny's 'proud mother' moment. It reminded her so much of her own parents and all the ways in which she was blessed to have them.
"Well then." She rose to her feet. "I better have me a read of your match report on the front of yesterday's paper."
Lizzie heard a scoff coming from her boss. "You can read my match report, but it didn't make front page."
Lizzie's features squinted into a look of confusion. "What? That was the biggest match of the year so far- how could it possibly have not made the front page?!"
"Well apparently, according to Rita Skeeter and Merlin knows who else, my son's love life has been deemed more important that the game." Ginny handed the newspaper to Lizzie, whose eyes widened as she saw the title:
Harry Potter's Son Hides Heartbreak through Quidditch Victory.
Lizzie gulped, then sat down to face the article.
Yesterday was a difficult day for the young James Sirius Potter, whose Quidditch celebrations were darkened by sad rejection.
The gorgeous James, who hails from Godric's Hollow, and has 4 times won Sexiest Wizard of the Year, divulged to us here at the gossip column of the Daily Prophet, that he had been rejected by the love of his life.
Potter says that after only four months of knowing this girl, he has been "blown away". How tragic that she does not care for him as he does her. However, this is not surprising given his parents' romantic history. His father- rejected by his friend, Hermione Granger, married her husband Ron Weasley's sister as an act of revenge. My colleague Ginny often travels for her work, practically having left Harry, the chief of the Auror department, to raise their 3 children on their own. Some speculate that Ginny's bad mothering is what led to her daughter Lily Luna moving to Paris by herself at the tender age of 19.
So sad it is that James, who is called Jay by his many friends, would also have to suffer that heartache. He says that this girl does not "care for him in anyway". How could she not? She must be absolutely barmy! Even the great ex- headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, was extremely fond of the boy, and even allowed him to call her by the pet name 'Minnie'. The thought of anyone rejecting this sweet, wonderful man is enough to bring tears to my eyes.
It breaks my heart that on what many are calling the 'best match of his career', this poor young man had it tainted by some miserable, deluded devil. We hope that this heartbreak in no way affects his flourishing career. If the girl who hurt this national treasure in such a way happens to read this, I hope she feels ashamed of her actions.
This has been Rita Skeeter reporting for the Daily Prophet.
As Lizzie's eyes came to the bottom of the page, she groaned and threw her head on the desk in front of her.
"I know right. It's abysmal! It's 2028, and they still let shit like that get on to the front page. I swear to you, Lizzie, if Skeeter actually worked from the office instead of hiding away in a hole at home, she would be regretting ever calling my abilities as a mother into question. How dare she?" Ginny's voice grew louder before sifting into a sigh.
"I wonder who the girl is. He hasn't mentioned anyone for ages."
Lizzie squirmed before gingerly raising her hand, to which Ginny looked confused.
"You don't have to raise your hand to ask a question. I thought you'd know that by now."
She took a deep breath. "I do know that. I'm not asking a question, I'm answering one…"
"Answering? What do you me-?" The cogs all clicked into place.
"Oh."
"… Yeah."
"Is it awkward if I asked what happened?"
"Yes, but I'll tell you anyway. Basically, after I interviewed him back in April, he made me a proposition. I said no- of course I did- but since then, he seems to keep cropping up. He says that it's the universe sending him a message, but obviously that's rubbish."
"Why's it rubbish?"
Lizzie's head shot up at the unexpected question. "What do you mean?"
Ginny shrugged. "Well maybe the universe was trying to send you a message."
"Really? So what, I should just declare my non-existent undying love for him? Because of a few happy coincidences?"
"Well no- that would just be ridiculous."
Lizzie sighed in relief. Then Ginny continued.
"But it wouldn't kill you to give him a chance. Look, I know I'm slightly biased, but James has a good heart."
"I don't doubt it. There's no way he couldn't have with who his parents are."
The two women smiled at each other.
"What's the problem then?"
"Well…" Lizzie paused for a moment, and threw her arms up in frustration. "I don't know him! And I'm not really in the habit of dating people I don't know."
"Well in that case, here's what I suggest. Get to know him."
The younger girl's eyebrows creased at the advice. "You act as if that's easy."
Ginny shrugged. "It is." She grabbed a piece of paper and began to jot down something. "This is Jamie's phone number. I know you prefer to do things the muggle way."
Lizzie took the piece of paper, tucked it into the pocket of her skirt, and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "I think I'm going to try and get some work done." She went back to the papers on her desk.
Ginny's eyes lingered on her a few moments longer, then she let her lips slip into a small smile and returned to her work too.
"I'll see you tomorrow Ginny." Lizzie said as she gathered her stuff together.
Ginny returned the gesture from her desk. "Don't make things too difficult for yourself"
Elizabeth just rolled her eyes before grabbing her stuff and making her way out of the office. As she wandered to the Leaky Cauldron she contemplated her boss' words. Ginny might be right. There's no harm in getting to know a person. I don't need to date him to spend time with him. He'd be a fun friend. A friend. Yeah- I could make that work. Her fingers curled around the paper in her pocket. She pulled it out and then used her other hand to rifle through her bag for her phone. By the time she had stepped back onto muggle London's polluted streets, Elizabeth Hartley had come to the conclusion that she would end up calling James Sirius Potter tonight. She took a deep breath before dialling Jay's number into her phone.
It rang a few times before going to the answer machine.
"Hey, it's Jamie. Bit busy living my life to answer the phone right now. If you leave a message, I'll get back to you. Unless it's Al. In which case, don't ring me you prick."
Lizzie rolled her eyes and chuckled at the message, but found herself silently relieved that he hadn't picked up.
"Hi James, it's Lizzie. As in Elizabeth Hartley. Look, I saw that article in the Prophet and we need to talk about it. Your mother seems to think that I should get to know you, and… well it wasn't the stupidest idea I've heard. Don't think that's me admitting to liking you, because it isn't. It's me saying let's be friends. I'm willing to go as far as to try that- but nothing more for the moment. So yeah, that's all I've got to say, I guess. Phone me back whenever. Don't let this get to your already large head. Okay. Bye."
As she hung the phone up, she swore under her breath and continued on her way home. Just as she was leaving the train station near her house, she found her phone ringing. She made quickly to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Elizabeth, it's Jay. Do you mean it?"
"What?"
"Your voicemail. Will you really give it a shot?"
"Hang on- I said friends. Just friends."
"Okay, friends, whatever- but you'll stop avoiding me?"
She sighed. "Yeah, I guess."
She could almost hear his smile down the phone and it surprised her the way in which he lost his usually cool demeanour.
"That's awesome. I'll text you tomorrow. We'll do something."
And before she had the chance to respond, he had hung up the phone.
"Well I guess I'm doing something with James Potter tomorrow."
Hope this was okay. I wrote this whole chapter today in my free. I hope the characters I've painted weren't too ooc. I kinda just felt like this would be their gut reactions to the situation. Please review and feel free to share this with fellow HP next gen fans and such Oh, in other news- In less than a month, Tom Hiddleston is coming to the theatre where I work to do a Q and A! :D Sadly, I didn't sign up quick enough to work that night, but I got tickets. Hoping to get a photo or a hug at least. 3 See you guys as soon as I possibly can. The fact that anyone bothers reading this makes me happy in ways you can't even understand! Bg. 97 xx