Chapter Twenty One: Getting Over Him

Dear Willow,

Come over soon. Miss you!

- Roxanne

There was a change in my life after the first month of summer came to a close. After spending days in my bedroom, sulking over nothing, and spending hours in front of the mirror, thinking of what change I should make to my hair - I decided to put down the scissors and pick up my broom. Even if I couldn't play Quidditch next year, it didn't mean I couldn't stop playing it myself. They never said no practicing. I didn't just play Quidditch to play Quidditch, I played it for my health and sanity. Days without it drove me clinically insane.

I distracted myself with wedding planning with Katie and Quidditch so much that I didn't have any time to think about James! I couldn't, my mind was so crammed with other events going on in my brain.

But the invitation from Roxanne halted me in my progress of ignoring James. I left it sit on my desk for a few hours before scrawling over it, wondering whether or not I should go. Some of Weasley-Potter family would stay together during the summer for a week or so in Roxanne and Fred's house - their dad being the richest out of all the family. Despite Harry Potter saving the Wizarding World, you can't beat practical joke items.

On the pro side of going, the house was beautiful. I had been there a few times, and it was giant and pretty and complete open space. Another pro side was that I had a summer glow to my skin, and James could see me looking good and regret his actions.

On the con side of going, James was going to be there. I didn't want to see him. I had purposely busied myself with tasks so that James wouldn't cross my mind - and seeing him would definitely preoccupy my mind for weeks.

"You should go," Katie announced to me once she read over the letter. "I think so."

"You do?" I looked at her before biting my lip. "I don't think so."

"You can't get over someone by simply ignoring them," She looked at me pointedly, and I knew she was right. Besides, I greatly missed Roxanne(and I did miss James.)

"Willow!" Roxanne's voice boomed out as she gave me a huge hug, patting me comfortingly on the back as she reeled me into the house. "I'm so glad you came!" I simply smiled nervously, bracing myself for the sight of James. Instead, I saw Albus Severus Potter sitting on a couch with a pretty blonde girl who I recognized as Gwendolyn, and Louis Weasley with Hugo Weasley looking at Roxanne and me with great curiosity.

"You're Willow, right?" He asked, not rudely, but very bluntly. I nodded.

"Oh," He nodded, and I blanched - knowing that someone must have talked about me in their close knit family clique, and it definitely included details about me and James' relationship.

"Don't be so weird, Louis, introduce yourself," Roxanne's curly hair was swept up on the top of her head and would bounce every time she took a step. A few tendrils stuck out at the bottom and I felt the urge to fix it. "He's kind of awkward, if you couldn't tell."

"I'm not," Louis scowled. "I already know Willow. We've talked before."

"Yeah," I nodded. It was brief in Hogsmeade, about my hair or something like that. He suggested that I, blonde to blonde, try out Madam Rosette's Purple Shampoo, infused with rose and amino acids. "I haven't gotten around to using purple shampoo yet."

"You should!" He exclaimed. "Scorpius Malfoy introduced it to me. Changed my entire life. Of course, you're not a light blonde, so you should get the rose infused one."

"I think that was what you recommended before," I giggled politely. Rumor had it, he, Scorpius, and his two sisters would have weekly haircare meetings.

"Sorry about him, Louis is enamored with hair and everything about it. He doesn't know about Fred and I's hair, being half-black and all." Roxanne tugged at her curly locks. "But, I'm teaching him everything!"

"I love hair," was all he offered with a wide smile.

"Are we talking about Louis' obsession with hair?" And that was the voice I knew so well, the one I could now recognize from a mile away. It was the voice that used to tease me lightly and compliment me subtly. James Sirius Potter clambered down the stairs, seemingly tanner and with the same smirk that he always wore. I knew I was staring at him, but I couldn't help it. He had cut his hair shorter, more kempt - which I didn't like but I still didn't hate. I knew he had gotten better looking, and I also knew I missed him - I hated myself for feeling that way. James caught me staring. We locked gazes, but his lingered for a split second before turning back to Louis.

"What a coincidence he comes down here," Roxanne whispered to me before calling out after him. I regretted coming. He was so unbothered and happy - he didn't care. And I did.

"James, where'd you go?" And just like that, somehow, my day seemed to get worse. Helen barged out of nowhere, her brown hair loose and smile wide. She had a slight gap in between her front teeth that made her somewhat more endearing. She looped her arms around his neck.

"Uh," James looked down at the ground. "We're going to go swimming, if anyone else wants to go." Hugo simply nodded while no one else even dared to speak. Helen skipped towards the door, and Roxanne and I both turned to go to her bedroom.

""Can we, uh, go to your room?" I asked Roxanne quickly.

"Yeah, sure," She gestured down the hall, taking a look at James before leading me down the hallway. "It's this way." Roxanne's room was lived in. It wasn't even messy, just lived in. The slight wrinkle and crookedness of the bed, the photograph wall, and the little quirks that she had scattered all over the room gave everything personality.

"I love your wall," I commented immediately before adding, "No pictures of me, though."

"You wanna change that?" I looked up to be staring up into the lens of Roxanne's camera. "I got loads of film. I'm good at it, I promise!"

I threw back my hair dramatically before pursing my lips for a flair - making me look as ridiculous as possible.

"Oh, my Godric, Willow, come on. Be serious." I glanced back at the wall. There was a mix of moving Wizard pictures and normal, Muggle ones. "You really like this, yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah," She beamed her white smile at me. "I loved it for a while. I just got really into it this past year." I scanned all the photos before my eyes landing on one of James. It was out on a lawn somewhere, the sun setting and beaming into his face all at once. He was laughing at something, a hand pointing out at something. I wished for a second, that I could exist in that photo, just with him and unbothered.

"Willow," Roxanne called out, dragging out the vowels in my name. "Wiiiiillllooooooooow." I turned to see her camera flash at that second. The film slipped out of a slit from her camera.

"Look at it," She burst out. "You look so good!"

"Let me see, pass it over," Roxanne shook her head.

"You're just going to have to wait and see until the next visit. This is how I'm forcing you to visit me." But her joke had gone over my head, as I got sight of James and Helen in the pool through her window. They were currently having a splash party in the pool.

Suddenly, a wave of sadness rippled through me.

"I'm sorry." Roxanne told me. I shook my head before swallowing.

"I'm fine," I decided. "I am."

I took one last glance at James, and decided, I was going to get over him.