Hastings,

I am sorry about Tuesday night. I don't know what came over me. I was drunk and I'm sorry. Don't think any less of me, if that's even possible, because of it? But anyway, happy birthday! I know it's kind of a big one so enclosed is a little something from me. Have a nice day.

Yours,

James

Poppet had re-read that letter more times than she cared to admit since she received it two days ago on her seventeenth birthday. Along with the letter there was a little necklace enclosed. It had a delicate chain and a small, silver circle charm. Poppet really liked it. She was deliberating whether or not to put it on in the car on the way to the station. Her father had taken his Muggle driving test the day before and it was his second or third time out on the road. Poppet was nervous. She trusted her dad but not on Muggle roads with Muggle traffic in central London. She thanked Merlin that the station was only a thirty minute car journey away.

Poppet hadn't had much time to think about her kiss with James but any spare moment she got she found herself obsessing over it. She wasn't obsessing in a teenage 'oh my god does he like me?!' kind of way – she was obsessing over it because it was very odd and she couldn't work it out. She had played back the moment a thousand times in her head trying to pick out a reason why he decided to do it. Maybe he was right and it was drunken silliness, but it didn't feel like that. Poppet shook her head trying to repel the thought. She was reading far too much into it and she couldn't let this affect her relationship with James – partly because she didn't want anyone to know. She couldn't think of a single person who would be happy with the fact that they kissed. Not one.

They arrived at the station and got onto Platform 9 ¾ with no issues. Immediately, Douglas spotted the Potters and was running across the platform to go and say hello. Poppet's stomach twisted. She suddenly felt very unwell. James was stood engrossed in what appeared to be an argument with Albus. His hair had been cut. It was still shaggy but it wasn't falling in his eyes now. Poppet liked it. James was wearing a white t shirt and black skinny jeans. It was a very simple combination but Poppet felt that it worked. She caught herself thinking about James and forced herself to think about other things. She hadn't seen Tobias in a while. Where was he?

Douglas beckoned Poppet over and Harry and Ginny waved enthusiastically at her. She walked over, sheepishly. Her trunk was levitating in front of her. She loved being seventeen.

"Poppet!" Ginny forced her into a hug.

"Hi, Mrs. Potter," Poppet smiled. She glanced over at James. He was looking the other way.

"I've told you at least a thousand times to call me Ginny, dear," Ginny was still beaming.

Well, at least I'm in with the in-laws.

Poppet smiled weakly. She slipped her hand into her jeans pocket and felt the little necklace James gave her touching her fingertips. It felt cool. Poppet grimaced.

"Well, it's nearly eleven," Douglas glanced at his watch. "Better hop on the train, Pops."

Poppet pulled her dad into a giant hug. He promised her he'd come and see Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw in February and Poppet nodded frantically, telling him that if he didn't she'd be after his head. He laughed and sent her on her way with James, Albus and Lily.

Albus chatted away to Poppet to diffuse the tension. James hadn't spoken a word. Poppet might have got a 'Hi' out of him as she walked over to them but it was hard to tell. Lily split off and found her friend, who Poppet now knew was called Alice, and Albus soon saw Ross and ran off to find a compartment with him. Poppet smiled at James and he smiled back.

"Thanks for the necklace," Poppet said, quietly as they climbed aboard the train.

"Do you like it?" James asked.

"I loved it. Thank you."

James seemed to loosen at this. "I hoped you would. Mum helped me pick it out. She's keen on you."

"That's sweet," Poppet said, beaming. She'd always been the kind of person that parents didn't like. Always labelled as a bad influence, a man eater and even worse than that. Poppet choked slightly thinking about how mean some of her friends mothers had been.

James pulled open the door to an empty compartment and climbed in. Poppet followed, flying her case up to the luggage rack above their heads.

"Look, while we're alone..." James took a seat and stared at Poppet intently. She felt uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about the kiss. I really am. I don't know what came over me. It was a drunken, euphoric-driven kiss. I don't want things to be awkward between us. Please don't let it be."

"I feel the same way, James."

"What?" James' head snapped up.

"About the kiss?" Poppet found it odd that she had to clarify this. As these words left her lips, Florence and Blane walked through the door.

"Who's kissing?" Florence asked. No pleasantries from Florence.

"Not you and Blane which is a fucking miracle," James snorted and Poppet laughed. Even Blane smiled but Florence continued to look flustered.

"Seriously, who's kissing?" Florence wasn't taking no for an answer. Poppet sighed. That girl was like a dog with a bone.

"No-one," Poppet stressed.

"Fine. If you won't tell me, I'll assume it's you and Tobias," Florence said.

Poppet groaned and Blane laughed. James looked like he'd just been hit in the face. Florence took a seat next to Poppet. It was pretty much eleven on the dot now. Where was everyone? The train shuddered. Go time.

Roxanne was next into the compartment. She was full of stories of Fred and a bludger but Poppet wasn't listening- she stared out the window and watched the countryside zoom by. Jocelyn joined them followed by Adam. Where was Tobias? She was starting to get worried. She wasn't attracted to him, true, but they were still really good friends. She didn't want to lose that friendship because of James Sirius Potter.

James was clearly delighting in the fact that Tobias wasn't there. He was livelier than ever on the train. He bragged about his new broom that he'd gotten for Christmas, enthused about the success of the New Year's Party for the benefit of Blane, Jocelyn and Adam and he even talked loudly about a book he'd read over the summer. After an hour of a Tobias-free journey, Poppet bit the bullet. "Where's Tobias?"

James snapped his head up at her. She caught his eye but she couldn't read his expression. He returned to browsing today's Daily Prophet.

Blane answered, "He said he wasn't going to sit with us today."

"Why not?" Roxanne asked.

Blane glanced at James who was acting oblivious to this whole situation. He was humming 'A Cauldron Full Of Hot, Strong Love' to himself. Odd choice, Poppet thought to herself.

"I don't know." Blane was lying through his teeth and everyone knew it. Everyone knew why Tobias wasn't sitting with them on the train and he was sat in front of them pretending to read the paper and humming an eighty year old song like he was an old man on the train on the way to work at an office job.

It was dark when they reached Hogwarts and severely cold. Poppet had forgotten how much colder it was here than it was in London. The snow was still thick on the ground but a path had been cleared for the carriages. Poppet climbed aboard one with Roxanne, Florence and Jocelyn. The dream team were reunited – and alone – at last.

"I can't believe Tobias didn't sit with us because of James," Florence scoffed as the carriage began to move towards the looming castle ahead of them.

"Everyone knows James can be a tosser," Roxanne said.

"Yeah, James' git-ness shouldn't be taken personally," Jocelyn added.

"Agreed," Florence muttered.

Poppet remained very quiet. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that somehow this was her fault. She couldn't shake that feeling all evening. They sat at the table for the feast with everyone except Tobias who was sat further down with Lars and Tom. Poppet tried to grab Tobias after dinner but he pretended not to hear her shout his name. This was weird. She had seen him since the incident on the train and he was fine with her. She should actually be mad at him. He didn't send her an owl on her birthday. Even James managed to give her a present. Poppet decided not to let it bother her.

History of Magic the following day was normal. Poppet thanked Merlin that James wasn't acting weird anymore. It was almost as if the kiss had never happened. They passed notes the entire lesson, not paying any attention, and Poppet did worry for a second that she would fail her NEWT in it if she carried on this way.

J: How's your boyfriend?

P: Haven't spoken.

J: Weird.

P: I know. You haven't told him anything?

J: Of course not. I'm not a complete prat, you know.

P: You had me fooled.

J: Watch your mouth, missy.

P: Missy? That's new.

James was as happy as ever and Poppet knew it was because Tobias wasn't talking to her. He was practically giddy. A broad smile never left his face. It would have been nice if Poppet didn't know the reason why. She was still solving James. He was like a puzzle she hadn't got all the pieces of yet. She couldn't understand why he didn't like Tobias all of a sudden, after he'd been 'Tobster' for months. She couldn't understand why the fact that Tobias was being a prat made him giddy with glee. She couldn't understand why he had pressed himself against her in his kitchen and kissed her, leaving wet, soapy handprints on her hips and fuzziness in her brain.

J: I'm trying new things. I'm turning over a new leaf.

P: Uh-huh, sure.

J: Have you taken in a word Binns' said this lesson?

P: Nope, not at all.

J: You're a bad student.

They had Quidditch on Wednesday. Surely Tobias would have to talk to her then. She couldn't understand what she'd done. Last night in the common room he'd actually blanked her. He couldn't know about the kiss, surely. How would he know about the kiss? Unless James' cat had suddenly harnessed the power of speech, miraculously found Tobias and told him, nobody knew about that kiss. She hadn't told him. James had said he hadn't told him (although James wasn't the most reliable of sources). She couldn't work it out and that frustrated Poppet.

History of Magic ended and Poppet walked out of the classroom with James. He was pushing her and they were laughing. Poppet realised James was fast becoming one of her best friends here. Despite him being a git quite a lot of the time, he was a laugh and she liked that in a friend. They made their way to lunch together, making jokes at Binns' expense. The doors of the Great Hall swung open in front of them and they headed for the Gryffindor table. Tobias was sat with Tom and Lars again. James scowled in their general direction.

Poppet seated herself down next to Florence who was gushing about a date she was going to have with Blane that night. Poppet smiled and nodded as she heaped salad on to her plate. She poured herself a glass of water and began to chew on the spinach on her plate. She really didn't like spinach.

The table around them began to fill up. Roxanne and Jocelyn arrived. Rose sat down shortly after them. Soon everyone was together and laughing. James and Albus were bickering about who had the best name sake ("One of your guys killed the other one of your guys. And one of your guys was in love with the wife of one of my guys. That makes mine better. My guy actually got the girl. And he didn't kill anyone. Plus, he was a stag.") and it was like old times. Poppet has missed Hogwarts while she was away; there was no getting past that.

AN: This was filler-y and I'm sorry. You had a banterous chapter last time. Let me live a little. Poppet can't work out James. But I bet you guys can. The sorting hat did tell her she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Maybe next chapter Poppet will work it out. Why's Tobias acting weird? Does he know something? LET ME KNOW! Love you all. Also, I have bad news. If you read this regularly and have been enjoying my daily updates (which I hope some of you are) I am putting this on hold for a week as tomorrow I am going to Cyprus! I will try and update but no promises! Lots of love.