He never hid the fact that he drew, he just never brought it up. Most people assumed that all of the ink smudges on his hands and arms were due to his messy scrawl, and he saw no harm in letting them do so. The only person who knows how much he enjoys drawing is probably his mother. She had been the one to buy him his first sketchbook and would enchant his pictures of dragons and monsters for him when he was too young to do it himself. He liked watching his drawings come to life back then, but now he prefered them the muggle way. He wanted the pictures to be alive without the magic he was so prone to use.
He would draw all kinds of things now. He had several sketches of the castle-all in different angles thanks to flying. Nothing was too simple to be forever remembered in ink. It's often the simple things that matter the most, after all. He drew the Marauders a lot. Sirius' perfectly styled locks and Peter's giant smile that made you smile back no matter how hard you tried to suppress it. He spent the most time on the scars on Remus' face, though. It wasn't that they made him who he was, or that they were even really glaring after knowing him. He detailed the scars because these sketches meant something and he wasn't going to skimp on the pain that they all had. Not everything was good and he refused to remember things so falsely.
He liked drawing people because when you know them well enough, the picture isn't really their physical qualities, but more of what they mean to you. It's amazing really, to compare the first sketches of his mates to the ones he has now. He tried to draw Lily once. His attempts at the fire in her hair and eyes were massive, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't mark down who she was. The drawing looked just like her, but it wasn't her. He didn't know her yet. He could see her, but he wouldn't be able to draw her until she let him see her. He hasn't attempted a sketch of her since fifth year.
James would switch between muggle and magical drawing materials as they allowed him more choices. His favorites were the oil pastels, though. They slid across his parchment in the smooth fashion that he wished the world had and allowed his hands to form the shapes of the image in his head. He never let the drawings be perfect though. The world was made of imperfections and he had no authority to ignore that.
The best place to draw was at the top of the astronomy tower. The moon would shed a glowing light into the darkness around him and the sounds of the nature outside made him calm. It was best to come up to the tower just after three in the morning because of the silence. There were no couples sneaking around at that hour-just him and his bag of utensils. He never expected someone else to be in the tower when he went up. It hadn't happened a single time in his seven years there.
The door creaked shrilly in the darkness, and James was surprised to see a body on the ledge of the tower flinch at the sound before shooting to it's feet. He had never had good eyesight, and the slim shedding of moonlight wasn't really helping his situation. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the figure before tentatively calling out, "'Hello?"
The other person cleared their throat before responding awkwardly, "'Lo there, Captain."
"Harry? What the hell are you doing up here? It's nearly half three."
"I could ask you the same," Harry raised his eyebrows at James, but answered anyways. "I like it up here."
"Why?" James slipped his bag off of his shoulder and walks leaned against the ledge next to Harry.
"It's dark. Quiet."
"Dark? Well that's not off-putting at all," James chuckled and looked Harry in the eye.
"The dark isn't so bad. I don't know why people hate it so much."
"Yeah, well. It's weird in the dark. You can't see the shadows and any noise makes your skin crawl, yeah?"
"But it's a great place to not be seen. No one can bother you if they can't see you. Good for thinking, it is," Harry shrugged his shoulders and nodded towards the bag. "What's that you've got?"
"Nothing much, really. Just some stuff," James tried to shrug it off, but Harry noticed a fresh pink tinge in James' cheeks and laughed.
"Alright, just some stuff then. Mind if I check it out?" Harry nodded at the bag again and he held in another chuckle at James as one of his hands shot up to ruffle his hair.
"Er, I mean, it's really not much. Just some junk, you know? It's not worth your time, really."
"I'm only kidding, mate. It's obviously something private and I'm in no place to pry," Harry sent an easy grin at James and he relaxed a bit when James returned the action. The two boys stood in silence for a little while, looking at the sky until James spoke again.
"Are you excited for the first quidditch practice?"
"With you as a captain? Hell no. It's going to be awful, I can tell already," Harry knocked his shoulder into James' and laughed with him. "Yeah, I am. I haven't played in a while and I miss the game."
"Why haven't you played? You're bloody good at it," Harry smiled at James' compliment and tried to play it down. They spent until six in the tower, talking to each other and forming a friendship.
Lily was sitting in the her old dorm, laughing her brains out and shoving chocolates in her mouth. Mary had just broken up with her boyfriend of eight months after catching him in a broom cupboard with Megan Laurie. Mary had just finished an embarrassing story about Jason, and the three girls in the room were cackling.
"Oh sweet little Mary MacDonald! Tell me you didn't!" Marlene McKinnon was next to Lily, leaned against the bed and taking swigs out of a bottle of firewhiskey she managed to snake from her cousin.
"I did! And his face was so red I swear he could've passed for a sunburnt jiggercrake!"
The girls fell into another round of laughter as the door opened up to admit Ginny to the room. She looked awkward upon walking in on the girl's hangout.
"Oh, uh, sorry. I'll just be going then," Ginny spun around to try and retreat from the room, but a call from Mary stopped her.
"No, Ginny! Please stay. It's your room too, yeah?" The little brunette scooted over from her spot on the floor to make room for Ginny. "We have chocolate!"
Ginny laughed as Mary thrust a chocolate frog towards her and gently pushed the girl's hand away from her face. She took the candy from her with a smile before sitting down next to her and opening the packaging.
"So why are all of you laughing with chocolates and firewhiskey?" Ginny asked around a mouth of chocolate.
"Mary's wanker of an ex-boyfriend was making out in broom cupboards with Megan Laurie while they were still dating. Prick ass bastard," Marlene took a hefty swig of the alcohol before she shoved it towards Lily.
"Jason cheated on you? Want me to hex the blighter?" Lily laughed at Ginny's murderous expression before she realized the other girl wasn't kidding.
"Head girl in the room, Ginny," Lily nudged her side with an uncomfortable expression on her face.
"Yeah, I know. A head girl who's drinking firewhiskey with her mates right now," Ginny's eyebrow quirked and Lily smiled mischievously at her.
"Hmm, is that so? Well we'll just have to see what comes of that then," Lily smirked and took a drink of the whiskey, a satisfied hum escaping her lips.
Ginny let out a laugh at Lily's so easily won approval and smiles at Mary and Marlene. The two girls looked at her with a respect that she hadn't seen before.
"Well, Mare. I think I do like this one," Marlene grabbed the firewhiskey from Lily and passed it off to Ginny. "Welcome to the club, Lewis."
Their friendship had blossomed fast. Hermione had continued to obstinately hold a grudge against Ginny for trying out for a position on the house quidditch team so Ginny had started spending time with Lily and her friends. Ginny paced anxiously in her dorm, waiting for James to post the team list on the bulletin board.
When tryouts had ended, he had told all of the hopefuls that in a week he would post the results. Ginny continually wrung her hands as Marlene sat on a couch in front of the fireplace watching her frazzled state. She let a giggle escape her lips and Ginny spun around fast to glare at her.
"Marlene McKinnon I swear to the founders that if you laugh at me again, I'll have your head!"
"Oh, well someone's a feisty one, aren't they? With a temper like that, I would think you're a redhead," Marlene laughed at her own joke whilst Ginny looked at her in question.
"What do you mean you'd think I was a redhead?" Her pacing had stopped and now Ginny stood in front of Marlene.
"I don't mean anything by it. I mean I love Lils and she's a ginger. Obviously you aren't a redhead. I didn't realize it would make you this upset. Sorry," Marlene looked genuinely guilty, and Ginny continued to be confused until a tendril of her black hair slipped from it's spot behind her ear and she was hit with a wave of realization.
"Oh! No, uh, I'm not offended. Sorry, erm, I'm just all frazzled because I'm uh nervous about the quidditch list. I have no issues with red hair at all!" Ginny awkwardly laughed as Marlene stood up from the couch.
Ginny stopped her giggling as Marlene placed her hand against Ginny's forehead to check her temperature. "You alright, Gin? You're getting weird."
Ginny smiled at Marlene and moved her friend's hand from her head, "Just fine, Marley."
"Okay. I'm going to head off then. I promised Mary that I'd help her with Arithmancy," Marlene waved at Ginny and slipped out of the portrait hole. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and started to berate herself for almost letting the secret out. She closed her eyes and leaned her head along the back of the couch and didn't move until she felt the cushion next to her deflate under someone's weight. She peeked open an eye and sat up straight when she saw that it was Harry.
"Hi," Harry's hand went to his hair as he tried to flatten it some more and Ginny smiled at the knowledge that he was just as uncomfortable as she was.
"Hey, Harry," Ginny pushed some more of her black hair behind her ear.
"Look, Gin. We should probably talk. Uh, but maybe not here, yeah?" Ginny nodded and grabbed his hand to lead him out of the common room. They walked up to the room of requirement, not letting each other's hand go until Ginny stepped away to pace in front of the wall, imagining the den at the burrow.
Harry pushed the door open and held it for Ginny before stepping inside the room and closing the door after him. "The Burrow?" He quirked an eyebrow at her and didn't bother to hold back the grin that pulled up the corners of his mouth at her sudden shyness.
"Well, I mean, it's home, you know?" Harry's expression became more solemn and he nodded along to her comment.
"Yeah, I do."
There was a stretch of silence for about a minute before Harry cleared his throat and went to sit on the patched couch against the wall. Ginny followed his tracks and took the spot next to him, waiting for the inevitable. It came out fast and all at once.
"Look, Gin. We can't do this. I-I'm not good for you. I mean this is so different, being in the first war and not the second. I just. We can't work right now. Not with me meeting my mum and dad for the first time or… or… or seeing Sirius and Remus again. I mean, I never expected something like this happening and it's so complicated as is. And with Ron. He will murder me if he finds out and it's just. We can't. I'm... I'm so sorry."
Ginny looked into Harry's eyes and frowned. It was bad enough that he was saying what she was praying he wouldn't, but he looked like a complete stranger. She wiggled her wand out of her pocket and cast a charm to remove the transfiguration. His features slowly morphed back into his own and Ginny offered a sad smile as she drank it in. He looked back at her and swallowed hard before also taking out his wand and changing her back to herself.
Ginny felt the black fading out of her hair and the freckles resurfacing and watched Harry's face as she started to resemble who she truly was again. She held in the half sob she was dying to let out as Harry reached out his hand to touch the red of her hair. She let out a little sigh when his fingers made contact.
"How can not being together be the right thing when it hurts this much? It's so hard. We've left everyone back in our time except Ron and Hermione who we are hardly even talking to. I feel like I've lost everyone else. Please don't make me lose you too. I don't want to lose you, Harry. Please don't make me. Please."
Ginny continued to whisper 'please don't' over and over as Harry played with her hair and until he let go of all restraint and gathered her small body into his arms. She was full on crying now and he couldn't help but brush away her tears before cradling her in his arms and kissing her on her hairline as she tucked her head into his neck.
"I won't. I promise. I won't leave. You won't lose me. I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. I lo… I won't leave," Harry held her for a long time until all of her tears dried and she leaned up to kiss him. He didn't make a move towards her, trying to hold back, but when he made the mistake of looking at her chocolatey brown eyes, he lost control and leaned down to meet her halfway. Their lips brushed together softly and he felt the tips of his fingers tingle as he brought his hands up to cup her face and sink into her silky red hair. She sighed into his mouth and used her own hands to pull him closer to her before they both lost themselves in the moment.
"Hermione?" Ron walked over to the table that his girlfriend-he still got excited when he thought about that-was sitting at, furiously scanning the text of a large, old-looking book.
She didn't respond, but he could tell by the way that her ears twitched that she had heard him. Ron moved to sit in the chair across from her and waited for her to lift her eyes from the page. It took her about two minutes, but he waited patiently.
"Hey Ron. What do you need?" She sent him a soft smile and pushed her massive hair behind her ears. She slipped a spare bit of parchment into the tome and closed it so she could give her boyfriend her full attention.
"Well, um. I've been thinking. We're back here in the past. Why aren't we doing anything about it? I mean, if we start looking for the horcruxes now or something than we could stop all of our friends from dying. And Harry would have parents. Maybe Sirius wouldn't go to Azkaban. I don't know, Fred maybe wouldn't.
"I was just thinking that maybe we should try to change some stuff if we can. Think about it. Neville wouldn't have to get raised by his Gran. Mum might've not lost her brothers. I just. I want to do something worthwhile while we're here. I know you're excited to finish your seventh year, and I know you're working hard to get us back home. I just. I can't just sit here, 'Mione. Not when people who we loved are going to die and we can fix it. It's not right."
Hermione continued to look at Ron as she thought over what he said. She didn't agree that they should be playing with time. It's a dangerous thing, but the thought of saving all of their friends was pulling at her heart. She couldn't think about it now, so she reached for Ron's hand and squeezed it.
"I'll think about it," Hermione left her book at the little table and went off in search of a place to think.
A/N: Hey guys. So I'm sorry for not posting for like a month, I had to take a step back from writing for a little bit. I have some family stuff going on and my grades were dropping and fanfiction kind of took the back burner. I have nothing good to say about this chapter. It's sloppy and I don't like it much, but I didn't want to keep you all waiting. It's winter break now so I'll start on chapter five, but I have finals a week after I go back so I need to study too. Thanks for reading and all of the reviews. I really appreciate all of the support this story has gotten. I'd still love to get some ideas from all of you. You guys are great. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! - Jules