Pass The Jam
James Potter POV
"Oh for the love Merlin!" My bag had split open, quills, parchment and books covered in ink. I sighed heavily. I was right outside the common room, it'd almost made it. I briefly considered leaving my things on the floor and dodging inside, but I decided against it. I had four feet of my finished Charms essay in that mess, and I wasn't about to write it again. It had taken four hours in the library that weekend, and I wasn't about to abandon it on the cold stone floor.
I crouched down to gather everything I stiffened as I heard footsteps coming my way. Oh where was my invisibility cloak when I needed it? Oh that's right, Al just had to have it for some reason or another. Bloody git, I'd have to kill him later. I braced myself for the attack I knew was coming, still crouched and eyes closed as I heard the sound I had been dreading.
"JAMES. JAMIEPOO! GIRLS, WE CAUGHT HIM!" At least ten girls had surrounded me. Shit, I vaguely considered banging my head against the floor. I stood slowly, instantly regretting my decision. It wouldn't be long until they had backed me up against the wall. Again.
I looked at the hopeful faces of the girls in front of me and inwardly grimaced. A pretty 6th year Hufflepuff seemed to be their leader. Martha, or maybe Millie. Something with an M. She gave me a dazzling smile, and I backed up at least two steps. Pretty soon I'd be closer than I ever wanted to be to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Well I was, I mean we were, wondering if you might want to go to Hogsmead with me, I mean, one of us?' Martha/Millie twirled her hair around her finger. She finished speaking 10 seconds after she'd started. I don't think she had paused to take a breath the entire time.
The group of girls still wore relentless hopeful expressions, and I attempted to smile. It had been two weeks, two bloody weeks since I had broken up with Viv. My fan club, (or as Fred liked to call them "bloody demented followers.") had wasted no time in trying to ask me out. Fred and Hugo had taken to walking me to classes and dinner, but I told them I could handle myself for one night. Apparently I had been mistaken.
"Sorry girls," their pretty faces, bright and smiling, turned into frowns, and their eyes narrowed menacingly. I didn't want to let them down, and before Viv, I would have welcomed their attention, but now I only wanted to get away from the demented girls, without hurting their feelings and without making them angry. "No, really. I am. But I'm-"
"He's not going to Hogsmead with any of you lot, and definitely not you Macie." Ah, so that was her name, I very nearly laughed. "Now get back to your own common rooms before I take away any points for loitering and harassment." Rose Weasley stood firm, legs spread apart, hands on her hips, in a classic "Don't you dare ignore me." pose.
I looked past the girls, smiling at my saviour. "Have I ever told you how much I love you, and that you're my favourite?" I asked after the girls had left, the Hufflepuff leader, Macie giving Rose an icy stare.
"Yes, and I still don't believe you." Rose smiled as she bent down to help me gather my things, which thankfully the pack of wild girls hadn't trampled on. "You know not to go anywhere alone James, not now anyway." I rolled my eyes as we stood up, even if I had been proven wrong, I still didn't want to admit it. I turned to the Fat Lady who looked me up and down.
"Badderlash."
"In you go dearie."
"Red, I don't need a babysitter." She rolled her eyes after we entered the portrait hole, before drifting away.
"Obviously, you do."
"Oi! Fred, get up!" I yelled at my still snoring cousin. Breakfast was waiting, I was hungry, toast and jam sounded wonderful, and I wasn't walking alone. Fred groaned, he wasn't the nicest person in the mornings.
"Go fall in a pile of dragon dung." I blinked, and held back a laugh. "Or better yet, how about a push you in one, you prat!" I ignored his threats, he'd be his normal chipper self in about five minutes, all threats forgotten. Yesterday he had threatened to jinx my broom, and I hadn't even been the one to wake him up then.
He threw his pillow at me as he got dressed, and muttered the entire time we walked down the stairs to the common room. I did a quick scan for Lena. She wasn't there, I was beginning to believe I'd imagined her. It'd had been two week since I ran her down, and I hadn't seen her once since then. Hogwarts was huge, yes, but how many tiny blonde girls were there?! She was even in my House for crying out loud. Fred sighed beside me, he knew what I was doing, I had asked him about her, but he obviously thought me bonkers too. He swore he didn't know who the bloody hell I was taking about.
I made Fred do a quick look out before I left the safety of the common room. As much as I told Rose I didn't need a babysitter, I did. I doubted anyone would be outside waiting, not after what my brilliant cousin accomplished last night. All was clear, we made it down to the Great Hall with no hiccups.
I smiled in relief, If I made it down to breakfast unscathed, I would make it through the day.
I sat down across from Rose, doing a quick scan of the Gryffindor table, and then it hit me. I had no bloody idea why I hadn't thought of it before, If I hadn't gone off my nutter and imagined the blonde beauty, Rose would be dorm mates with the girl!
"Hey, Rose, pass the jam please. Oh hey, are you dorm mates with a girl named Lena?"
Rose sat the jam back down on the table, her face blank. The seconds ticked by, Lily and Hugo turned to look at the silence that had fallen over our end of the table. Fred, oblivious as always was still eating.
Albus, my darling brother whom I still had to kill, chose that moment to grace us all with his presence.
"So you wouldn't believe what this 3rd year asked me today..." He trailed off looking from me to Rose, who still sat in a stony silence, and back again. All the while pouring himself a goblet of Pumpkin Juice.
He finally turned to Rose. "So what's Jamie done this time, Red?" He laughed as he loaded his plate down with food. Rose finally broke her gaze with me as she turned to answer Al, she gave him a small smile.
"Oh nothing Al, nothing at all. Except James wanted to know if I shared a dorm with a girl named Lena..." She trailed off, placing jam, my jam, the jam I wanted, on her toast. Damn her.
Now Al was giving me the look, Red had given me. Bloody fantastic, they thought I'd gone around the bend, before I could open my mouth and defend my sanity, Al opened his mouth.
"Did he mean Callena? Your Lena? Scorps Lena?"
My heart rose, I wouldn't have to defend my sanity, she was obviously real! And then it fell as I registered what was said. Scorps Lena huh? Bloody Malfoy. That was MY Lena. I should have listened to Uncle Ron. I had never liked him much either. I controlled my voice, trying to sound indifferent.
"Wait, okay, she's real, but Scorps Lena?" Rose rolled her eyes at me, if she kept doing that they'd roll right out of her damned head.
"Yes, ignore that he said she's my Lena too. My best friend Lena, is like his sister. They've been best friends for ages, even longer than we have." She spoke in a haughty tone as if I should have known this to began with. Well, even I could admit I should have known her friend, but not about Malfoy, I do had doubt I would ever like him again, even if they only had a platonic relationship. My heart fluttered, actually fluttered. when I heard "sister."
"Wait, so she IS real? Damn, I'd started to think he'd imagined her and we could finally send him off!" Ah, Fred finally noticed we weren't eating, not that it stopped him. Damn him and his jam covered toast.
Rose looked exasperated. "No she isn't imaginary! How do you not know someone in your own house?! We only have ten to fifteen per year, so 70 to 100 students per house. Eliminate your family, which is half of Gryffindor, and you honestly don't have that many people to remember!" She was now giving Fred the look she'd given me moments ago. Thank Merlin I wasn't alone then, I still needed to defend myself though, she could go on for ages.
"Sorry Rose, I've only met her once, and I haven't seen her since. Not even in the common room."
Rose nodded as if it were probable.
"She eats with Scorp, like Al eats with us, and she's never really in the common room." She took a bite of her toast, with her bloody jam.
Oh. That explains things, bloody Malfoy. I nodded and started eating again.
"Rose, please pass me the jam."
She ignored me, chewing and swallowing. "Why do you suddenly want to know anyway?"
I doubted I'd ever get the jam now.
"I ran into her the night I broke up with Viv. Knocked her down actually."
Rose shook her head. "What'd I'd tell you about being more observant?"
"Well, Red. It's not his fault. She's a lot closer to the ground than he is." Hugo laughed. I should have just asked him. Or another one of her dorm-mates. Ashlynn would have told me, and then I'd have my jam.
A Knowing look fell over Rose's face. "Wait. I know why you really wanted to know. You saw her, knocked her down, and thought she was absolutely gorgeous right? Forgot all about 'ol Vivian and Liam, didn't you?" Her tone was light but I could hear the ice underlying her words.
I didn't say anything instead choosing to load my mouth and ultimately my stomach with a forkful of now cold eggs. Fred doing much the same, still managed to answer for me with a vigorous nod. I hoped he choked.
I could practically see the steam shoot from her ears. I had half a mind to ask her if she'd taken a Pepper Up Potion, but quickly dismissed the idea. She wouldn't appreciate the joke anyway. One quick look at Fred (who was still living and breathing, much to my disdain) told me he'd had the same idea.
"Honestly James Sirius, you need to get over this "Romeo" complex you seem to have." This time I wasn't alone in my dumbfounded stare.
"That bloke in Ravenclaw? What's he have to do with this?" Fred asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"No you dolt, not Evan Romero. Romeo Montague." More silence.
"By William Shakespeare? Romeo and Juliet? Oh don't any of you read?!"
"Not anymore than necessary, Rosie." Al smirked.
"Well, it's a very famous muggle romance. Well, it's quite tragic actually, they both die-"
"Wait, if it's a muggle story, why would we know?" Hugo asked interrupting.
"Shut up HUGO!" Rose piratically screamed at her brother, who then muttered something that sounded strangely like 'yes, mum.'
"Anyway, like I was saying. Romeo was completely in love with Rosaline. Heartbroken over her, she hadn't returned his love. Well, until he saw Juliet. Then he forgot all about his heartache,and fell completely in love with her. In an instant. Just like you always do.
"No. Don't even bother denying it, you know it's true. You were so heartbroken over Mary-Lou Boot before Vivian. Remember her? You fell madly in love with Viv. Now you're going to try to do that same thing with Lena, but I'm not going to let you! I may have hated that slag Vivian, but I love Lena. "
I looked at her in disbelief, she was the one off her rocker. I didn't do that. I didn't think I did anyway. I was with Viv for two years anyway, wouldn't I have changed? No, I wasn't that much of a twat.
"I thought her name was Mary-Sue, not Mary-Lou." I looked down at my still jam free toast, suddenly angry.
Rose leaned over the table and patted my hand, not unkindly. "That's my point, James. I don't want Lena to be just another girl who's name you won't remember."
I sighed heavily. Unable to form coherent words. At last I opened my mouth and the words came tumbling out before I could stop them, before I could even think about what I was saying, before I knew I was lying.
"Honestly Rose, that's a bit much. Thank you, really, but you don't have to worry. I was asking after her to be polite. I could care less about the girl. Why would I?" I dropped my fork, letting it hit my plate with a distinctive clatter, I looked down, at my toast.
If I had looked up I might have see Rose staring just as intently at her own plate. I might have noticed that Hugo and Lily had gone back to their own conversation, and that for once, Fred wasn't eating. I might have looked up to see that Al, for the first time in all of his five years at Hogwarts, actually looked out of place at the Gryffindor table, with his silver and green tie. If I had looked up, I might have seen a shock of blonde hair disappear just as quickly as it had appeared. If I had looked up I might have remembered the words of warning Rose had offered two weeks ago. If I had looked up, I would have known that my words could cut deeper than any razor. But I didn't look up, I simply started at my toast.
"Will someone pass me the bloody jam?"
