Queenie Greengrass: Thanks! So glad you're enjoying all my stories, it's a great morale booster that someone likes all my work!
Disclaimer: If only it were that simple. Sorry guys, not JK Rowling.
James Potter scowled darkly all the way back into the village. Nobody had ever laid a hand on him in his life. And it really hurt. It hurt more thinking he hadn't been socked in a bar room brawl or defending some pretty girl's honour, but by a five foot nothing, definitely- not- pregnant, red head with temperament issues and who obviously had something against chivalry. It would probably leave a mark, he thought annoyed, surveying the fading red slap mark in his wing mirror.
What kind of idiot cycles around with a puppy under her jacket in the rain anyway? The kind who buys Chysler house, he thought scoffing. That place had been abandoned since… forever. Of course, lots of people believed it to be haunted and as someone who had spent an entire night there aged twelve and three quarters, he completely agreed with them. Even Sirius, his best mate and the least "spiritually aware" as his mother would say, person he knew, admitted there was something… other in that building.
The legend said a woman who had lived in the village had fallen in love with a wealthy man living in a nearby manor (which was now a hotel). The fact that he was engaged meant nothing to either of them and they had an affair. An affair that had resulted in a child. The second the git had found out, he'd dumped her. A few weeks later, they'd found the body of the woman at the base of the cliffs. It was assumed she'd jumped. Her baby was found alive, in a nearby cottage and was put in an orphanage. That was all anyone seemed to know. But that had been like, more than two hundred years ago. He sighed and made the turn for the village.
He imagined little had changed over two centuries in Godrics Hollow. The town was small and insular. No doubt everyone already knew about the Chysler house being bought and were speculating as to who could have been so foolish as to do so. After all, there had been others, but the ghost had scared them off or halted progress so much, they just gave it up.
James parked up outside the sole restaurant in the village, owned and run by his best mate Sirius. Sirius had often said growing up, that he was only interested in owning a restaurant because it meant he could feed himself at any time of the day or night with whatever he wanted. James, for his part, had often teased Sirius for his complete dedication to learning to cook, calling him a nancy, but even he had to admit Sirius made one hell of a Death By Chocolate.
"Where have you been?" The accusing voice was loud enough to make the other diners look up, interested. James winced and pasted a fake smile on his face. Marlene, Sirius girlfriend and assistant pastry chef smiled sympathetically at him
"Hey Jade. I was just giving someone a lift to the B&B. Y'know, my Good Samaritan deed for the day." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly when she glared him. The woman scared him witless. She still thought they were together and he was too afraid to contradict her.
"Hmph. Well do it on your own time. I'm not going to hang around waiting for you forever you. I have to go. I have an urgent appointment." She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she pushed past him in the disdainful way only she could manage. As far as James knew, the only appointments Jade ever had were nail ones, but she'd rather die than let this go. He'd have to apologise, likely using something expensive, if he were to take over the Keener versus Pan Case. Brilliant.
Defeated, James slumped on a stool by the counter and Marlene shoved a smoothie at him. He sighed.
"Remember when I went out with Jade? Yeah, what was I thinking?" He asked Marlene who smiled and ruffled his hair.
"You were young, stupid and blinded by pretty." She told him sweetly, wrapping up a bag of cookies and handing it to a customer at the till.
"And that is the sorry truth. I tried to warn you." Sirius came out of the kitchen, clutching an enormous chocolate cake and covered in flour. Every woman's dream.
"You and Moony should've staged an intervention, kidnapped and tortured me until I gave in." James reprimanded him, sucking sullenly on a twisty straw, oblivious as Sirius of all the stares from all the females in the room, from fourteen up. Marlene, not quite as oblivious, blew up a plastic bag and popped it. Loudly.
"It was considered, but we were unable to find somewhere to stash you. That and we figured Mom would send spirits after us until we returned you." Sirius dusted the cake nonchalantly with icing sugar while he spoke.
"Ridiculous. You're her favourite. She'd probably let you keep me. No, she'd probably pay you to keep me." James amended, resting his face on his fist, despondently. He sighed and sucked harder on the straw.
"This is what I get for being nice. Slapped across the face and given the cold shoulder."
Marlene, leaned in, interested.
"Who slapped you across the face?" She asked. James scowled.
"A pregnant midget with clearly no idea of road safety regulations." He snapped.
"You ran over a pregnant woman?" Sirius barked, a little too loudly.
"She wasn't actually pregnant, I just thought she was. Mad as a hatter." Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"So you ran over someone you thought was pregnant, but actually wasn't? Sounds like she's not the only mad one around here…"
"She had a puppy tucked under her windcheater, which looked like a bump and she was the one who cycled out into my way!" He replied, hotly, wishing someone would take his side.
"So why'd she slap you?" Marlene asked shrewdly. James went a rather brilliant shade of red.
"I may have insisted on driving her to the B&B, despite her refusals-"Sirius groaned.
"Y'know, growing up, people always said, you'd be the one to bail me out of jail, but your severely messed up sense of chivalry is going to lead to you being locked up, you know that? Then I'll have to bail you out of jail and while I'd rather like to prove everyone wrong, you can't go around accosting women James-"
"I did not accost her and she was more than capable of defending herself as you can clearly see-"
"It doesn't make a difference! No means no and I for one-"
"BOYS!" Marlene yelled, causing the unfortunate diners to turn around in their seats to see what else could be unfolding this evening, as it appeared they paid for dinner and a show.
"In the kitchen." She said through gritted teeth and a rather fake smile. Both men followed her meekly.
"Remus should be canonised a saint for putting up with you too so long." Marlene sighed once she removed all sharp objects from arms reach.
"Remus found our verbal sparring, as he called it, amusing. Except when we started throwing things." Sirius added, as an afterthought. Marlene glared at him, before continuing.
"James, when a woman refuses help, it's generally because she doesn't want it. Sirius, James may be an idiot-"
"I OBJECT! FAVOURITISIM!" James barked, accusingly. Sirius smiled smugly.
"Overruled. Come back to me when you have a girlfriend Potter." Marlene told him, kissing Sirius lightly on the cheek. After several minutes of silence, Marlene asked;
"So what was she like, the girl who hit you?"
James blinked and raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" He asked, pushing his glasses down his nose, incredulously.
"What did she look like?" Marlene repeated, sharply.
"So the woman savagely beats me and exploits my kind and generous nature, and you want to know what she looks like? "
"In fairness, she had reason-"
"For the last time Sirius, I did not kidnap anyone-"
Marlene clipped them simultaneously around the head.
"Next time I tell your mother." She warned, darkly, when they protested. They fell silent immediately.
"Now James-"Marlene began
"She was pretty, alright? Is that what you wanted to hear? I admit it! Jesus Marls, the Gestapo were teddy bears compared to you!" James exploded, storming out angrily, cheeks flushed.
"Hmmm…" Marlene muttered, stroking her chin, thoughtfully. Sirius cocked his head to one side, rather like a dog, considering her.
"That's your plotting look." He noticed and she nodded, still staring at the door James had vacated.
"What're you thinking?" He asked, slipping a floury arm around her waist. Marlene smiled deviously.
"I'm thinking we should try and find out more about this girl. Maybe invite her 'round…" Sirius grinned and kissed her.
"So, we're meddling with James' love life again, huh? Sounds like fun. I'm in."