A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! I hope to hear from you with this chapter.
ChapterNine
How Things Are Now
I will not display my affection for my boyfriend in public.
I will not display my affection for my boyfriend in public.
I will not display my affection for my boyfriend in public.
Kira dropped her quill and rubbed her hand. Technically she was supposed to be writing 'I will not display my affection for my significant other in the library,' but after forty of those she decided to change it up a bit. If only for the sake of her hand. Besides Professor Longbottom always went easy on her and James, it wasn't like he'd care that she changed the lines she was supposed to be writing.
He'd learned though, she'd give him that. James was still upset that Professor Longbottom had remembered to take their wands. As two of the most gifted magical students at Hogwarts they learned non-verbal spells a few years ago. It had been Kira's masterful idea to simply replicate the first line they'd written over and over again until the appropriate amount of space had been filled.
When Kira and James had detention together she could pace him, so that a conceivable amount of time passed before the parchment was filled with writing. It had to look believable if they wanted to be able to continue with the trick. Not terribly complicated in her opinion, but somehow James managed to screw them both. The now infamous five minute detention with Professor Snodgrass was proof of that.
Now they had to write all their lines manually and if Kira didn't adore her stupid boyfriend so much she'd have thrown something at him a long time ago. But she did adore him and at the moment she wasn't sure if that was something she should be happy about. Her throbbing wrist was testament to his infinite stupidity.
Kira glanced over at the boyfriend in question and smiled. He looked like he was berating himself for ruining their ruse. Lines weren't pleasant and as two people who had had to do many lines throughout their school careers no one knew that better then them. Honestly they both had better things to do. They had homework and snogging, he had Quidditch practice and they both could have been snogging, Albus had spoken to Daisy and probably needed more advice and then there was always snogging.
Plus they could have been snogging.
Kira looked back at James, he was shaking his hand in an effort to alleviate some of the pain in his wrist. He looked so cute she just wanted to snog him. Damn Professor Longbottom, she thought, the ultimate snog-block.
She bit her lip thinking about how nice it felt to kiss James. James, she mentally sighed. My boyfriend. Kira winced at how girly it sounded even in her own head. She'd always promised herself that she'd never go girly for a boyfriend… But James was different. James was… well… James. She'd known him forever, he was her best mate. If she was going to get all girly for anyone it aught to be James.
Being in a relationship with him had its downsides, but Kira had been thinking about what it would be like to date him for about four years so she'd thought about most of them already. There were a few that she hadn't been expecting, but found that she really didn't mind them all that much. He was bit too handsy and didn't seem to understand that skipping class in order to snog was not something that they should do every day.
Or even every other day.
Or even just once a week.
Kira locked eyes with James. He kept glancing down at her lips. Kira rolled her eyes. It just figured that he'd want to snog. They were in the middle of a detention that they got for snogging at an inappropriate time and there wasn't a more inappropriate time then that moment. He was so thoughtless sometimes, but that was one downside to their relationship that Kira had been expecting. He was smart, a great wizard and if he put his mind to it rather quick, but when it came to certain things he was just so dense.
James licked his lips and looked at her through hooded eyes.
Oh real seductive, Potter, she thought sarcastically.
Kira shook her head. James nodded his and pierced his lips. Kira tried not to laugh her ass off. James licked the air and Kira snorted. They both looked up at Professor Longbottom, he was glancing between the two of them curiously.
"I know it won't do any good," he said. "But you two should get back to your lines."
James and Kira both nodded and she returned to her lines.
I will not display my affection for my boyfriend in public.
I will not display my-
"Kira…"
… affection for my boyfriend-
"Kira."
… in public!
I will not display my affe-
"Keeerrraahh…"
…ction for my stupid boyfriend in public.
I will not-
"Kira, Kira, Kira…"
I will never display my affection for my boyfriend ever again anywhere!
"Kira."
"What?!" She'd finally snapped and looked at James.
"Ms. Fitzsimmons," Professor Longbottom said. "Is there a problem?"
"No, there's nothing wrong," she said through gritted teeth.
I will not display my affection for my-
"Psst! Kira."
… soon to be ex-boyfriend-
"Kira, Kira."
… ever, ever, ever, ever again. Not even in private.
"Kira."
"I'm done, Professor Longbottom," Kira said, getting up. She laid the parchment filled with mildly threatening lines towards her boyfriend on his desk and turned to collect her things.
"I see you took some liberties with what you were supposed to be writing," Professor Longbottom said, sounding amused. Merlin, I hope he doesn't read it out loud. James is just dense enough to take it the wrong way… Wait what's the right way?... Oh! That doesn't matter, I didn't mean it anyway… well, not entirely, she thought.
"I will not display my affection for my soon to be ex-boyfriend ever, ever, ever, ever again. Not even in private," Professor Longbottom read.
James gaped at Kira.
"I didn't mean it," she insisted.
"Then why did you say it?" James asked.
"I didn't say it, I wrote it!"
"So?"
"So? So what?"
"So, why did you write it?" he asked.
"You wouldn't leave me alone while I was trying to finish my work!" Kira yelled.
"I wanted to kiss you, is that so awful?"
"In the middle of a detention it's just plain stupid, James."
"Look, I don't want to talk about this right now," James snapped. He turned back to the parchment in front of him. "You finished your lines, so go."
"I didn't mean-"
"Well, that's too damn bad isn't it?"
Kira gaped at James. It was very rare that he snapped at her, even rarer that he yelled. But right in that moment he sounded genuinely pissed off. It was bad news when James Sirius Potter got pissed off. A horribly embarrassing prank usually followed in the wake of a pissed off James Sirius Potter.
Kira slung her bag over her shoulder and slumped out of the room. It just bloody well figured. They'd finally gotten together and some thoughtless anger on her part ruined everything. Tears prickled in her eyes at the thought that this might be the end. Merlin, she thought. And I called him dense!
---
James always hated to admit when he was wrong. Which seemed odd considering the fact that he was wrong a lot. He could admit to himself in some small mostly unnoticeable corner of his mind that he was wrong, but if anyone tried to call him on it… He'd never admit it, not even if that person had concrete proof. He would deny it endlessly until whoever caught being wrong would either give up and/or admit that they had in fact been the wrong one.
It was one of the perks of being infinitely annoying.
So when James entered the Gryffindor Common Room ready and willing to admit that he was wrong to Kira, who was hopefully still his girlfriend, he didn't expect to come face to face with an enraged Stephen Wood. He did though.
Stephen was wearing his serious, captain face and James knew that meant he had to be serious as well. Something James only ever was when it came to Quidditch, his family or his girlfriend. You know important things. It certainly helped the situation that James was already in a serious mood. Having to deal with the very real possibility that his girlfriend was mere moments away from breaking up with him could do that to a guy.
Honestly all James expected from this little interlude was the usual post detention talk that he got from Stephen. Wood would yell at him for a bit about being more responsible and how getting detention only meant that James wouldn't be allow to play as much Quidditch. Then Wood would make an emotional appeal. Saying something about James being one of the best players on the team and if he kept getting detention they were going to lose and no one wanted that.
In the end Stephen would let him off the hook because he was one of the best players on the team. And the back-up Seeker was only able to catch the Snitch when no one was looking.
That was what James expected. That was what always happened. That is not what happened this time.
"If you get one more detention, Potter," Stephen snapped, "you're suspended for the rest of the year."
James stared at Stephen not entirely understanding what had just been said to him. He knew what each work meant individually, but strung together as they were they didn't make much sense to him. He'd gotten so many detentions over the years and Stephen had only ever threatened suspension from playing halfheartedly. But the look on Stephen's face and seriousness of his tone told James that this was a wholehearted threat.
"What?" was the most intelligent thing that James was physically able to ask once realizing how serious Stephen was.
"I you get one more detention, Potter, you're suspended for the rest of the year," Stephen repeated.
"Why?" James asked, horrified.
"Because your sister told my girl–- Rose that I'd drop her once I graduated." James squinted in confusion, what did this have to do with Quidditch? "So, Rose has been avoiding me since your cousin's wedding and finally started talking to me today. She told me everything. How Lily had made her self conscience about our relationship and how she been avoiding me so that she doesn't have to deal with the heart ache of me dropping her as soon as I graduate. She wouldn't listen when I told her I had no intention of dropping her ever and instead insisted that we 'take a break' until she graduates. Then we'll get back together if 'it feels right,'" Stephen sneered the last three words making it clear how he felt about the idea.
In fact James could see Stephen getting madder and madder with each word. He was practically screaming at James by the end of if.
"What does this have to do with Quidditch?" James asked.
"If your bratty little sister hadn't said anything in the first place Rose wouldn't have made this stupid decision," Stephen snapped. "Since I can't punish your sister, I'm punishing you. Quidditch practice in the morning. If you're late, you're suspended for the rest of the year. If you smart mouth me once, you're suspended for the rest of the year. If you screw up one of plays, you're suspended for the rest of the year. Do you get it, Potter?" Stephen asked with an evil little grin.
James swallowed and nodded. He feared that he did get it.
"If you screw up at all, I don't care how innocently, you're off the team for the rest of the year," Stephen explained before stomping up to his dorm. James stared after him for a while, stunned at what just happened.
He huffed and threw himself into the plush couch in front of the fire.
It just figured, in his opinion. He screws up with the best part of his life – Kira- and the rest of his life goes to Hell faster then you can say Merlin murky Mandrake. He knew that Stephen was being unreasonable and that if he spoke to the Headmistress about it something would be done to put the situation right… but James had a hunch that Stephen was in a hell of a lot of pain and needed to throw some of that pain at someone else. Unfortunate that someone was James and he probably wouldn't come out of it entirely unscathed.
With that thought in mind, James realized that he might be able to make this better, at least a little bit. He'd have to talk to Lily, who he was sure said something along the lines of what Stephen heard. But Lily wasn't a bitch, so James wondered if Rose said something to provoke her. That would make sense. Lily had gotten her ability to never leave well enough alone from James and if provoked they both knew how to pick at just the right thing to take their adversary down a peg or two.
He'd have to talk to Kira, as well. Maybe once he'd gotten everything sorted out with her, the whole Lily, Rose, Stephen situation would be easier to deal with. Kira was a whole lot smarter then he was and much better at delicate situations. She'd be able to have this whole thing sorted in no time.
James smiled at his decision. Things would work out for the best, they had to because there was no way James was not going to get another detention. He could make an honest mistake or lapse in judgment and his trigger happy professors would give him a detention. He was royally screwed if he didn't take care of this right away.
James got up and made his way of the staircase up to the girls' dorms, it was best if he got started tonight. He would have to talk to Kira first, she was the most pressing issue. As much as he enjoyed playing Quidditch, he'd give it up for the rest of his life if it meant he could stay with Kira. Honestly if Wood really wanted to punish him, he aught to threaten him with taking Kira away. James would loose his bloody mind without Kira.
James jogged up a few steps to the girls' dorms when something he truly didn't expect happened. The stairs flattened, James roared in surprised, someone above him screamed in shock and they both slid down into the rapidly filling Common Room. Pushing the robes out of his face, James tried to get up, but who ever had slid down with him was currently laying on top of him.
A quick glance showed him that it was his tear stained cousin, Rose. James glanced up at the crowd around them. Kneeling by his head, was an obviously upset and unsure Kira and behind her was a stricken Stephen who couldn't take his eyes off of Rose. Rose who couldn't even meet his gaze and Lily standing guiltily to the side.
No, James thought, this won't work at all.