So I got half way through a chapter for this story and I realized I really wanted to alternate POV's between Artemis and James. Sooo, that's why there has been some delay. That, and life has been hectic, I've had hoards of finals and AICE/AP exams. Not fun. But finally I forced myself to sit down and write another chapter! I'll try to update more. Hopefully things will pick back up with the start of summer. So yea, this chapter is in James's POV. It should alternate back and forth between every chapter from now on.

One would think with the amount of publicity I have had since my birth seventeen long years ago that I would have some social etiquette. That I would be suave and know what to say and just when to say it. Actually, I'd like to say I am pretty suave, however, only around people who don't deserve my-oh-so-smooth demeanor. Shite, I see what Albus is saying about my big head, I really do have one, don't I? But I am smooth to a small degree. Marley Finch-Fletchy, probably the hottest girl in my year, fell for mymoves in fifth year. It didn't mean a damn thing though; I didn't feel anything for her, ever. She really just started twirling her hair around me more often, and well, I'm not blind. It was good practice.

Oh Merlin, I'm heartless now too huh? I swear, it isn't as bad as it sounds. Marley is Hufflepuff's resident whore. She is what we call a Huffleslut. She handled it like a big girl. Everything is alright now, even if she tries to castrate me every time she corners me in a deserted hallway. Anyway, this is all beside the point. I'm basically not "smooth" when I need to be, there is this one girl and I swear—every time I see her I get tongue-tied. And not even the good tongue-tied, I don't stutter and splutter. Oh Merlin, that would be one gigantic step up from where I stand.

And yes, a girl is getting James Sirius Potter tongue-tied.

I can't think around her, my mouth and my brain never agree. One time in fourth year I entered the great hall and noticed she was looking pretty worried. You know, final exams were coming up, and being perfect in nearly everyway, she was trying to raise her grade in Transfiguration. I wanted to voice my concern for her well-being, because I'm such a genuine person, but instead I came out with: "Hey Laggy McLaggen, why does it look like you are constipated?" I was absolutely horrified, and so was she. She being Artemis McLaggen, by the way. And let me tell you, Artemis is not someone you want to poke fun with. She's got a temper, a really bad one too, I'd even say worst than that of most of the Weasley clan. That's saying something too. She knows how to fight; she grew up in a house with all brothers for Merlin's sake.

Anyway, I was mortified, but unfortunately I'm too prideful of a person to cower away like most people would. So instead I high-fived my best friend Fred Weasley and got a bludger to the face later that day during Quidditch practice.

Merlin, that girl has good aim.

Needless to say I'm going back to Hogwarts today and I can't wait to see her. I've got a plan this year, her oldest brother is gone so I don't have to worry about him joining Marley's quest to castrate me if I date his sister. I'm taller than he is, but Merlin Artemis's brothers are built. She's still got her twin (Apollo is it?) roaming the halls but he's pretty relaxed from what I've heard. Still, I have come up with a wooing scheme. Albus thinks it's hilariously stupid (he stole it from under my pillow the bastard) and has been taunting me for the past few weeks. BUT I DON'T CARE. As long as it works.

Of course, I'm actually scared to see her. How contradictory is that? I don't want to see the girl I've been pining after for years. Long story short, she apparently had an accident over summer vacation. Which led to me landing the position of Quidditch Captain, a position she has been fighting me for since we both stepped onto the pitch. To be honest, I don't want it. I know I don't deserve it. She's so dedicated it isn't even funny, half the time I half-ass it in practice, probably the only reason I have the slightest shot at playing professionally is that I have some pretty good genes.

I just saw her, she and her family made it through the barrier onto platform 9 ¾. Her back is turned to me and she's embraced her oldest brother in a tight hug. Hermes was his name, he's a pretty cool bloke too. Much to Artemis's dismay, we talked a lot last year, getting along pretty well. Needless to say, thanks to the faulty connection between my brain and my mouth, Artemis and I didn't have the best relationship.

"James, Mum wants to say bye," I was snapped out of my rather jumbled thought process, my eyes darting downward and catching sight of a head of wild red hair. My little sister was beaming back up at me, her new prefect badge gleaming on the front of her robes.

"Merlin, Lily, put that thing away. I don't want people to realize I'm related to a prefect," I gave her a smirk for good measure; to let her realize I was joking, but my little itty-bitty sister elbowed me anyway. I inwardly winced, for such a petite girl she did have a strong arm. Then again, she was raised in a household with Albus and I.

"Jamie, hush. Anyway, I'll take off my prefect badge when you take off you're captain badge," She gave me a wicked grin, her eyes traveling to my own badge pinned proudly to the front of my robes. Maybe I should take it off; I don't want Artemis to think I'm boasting-.

"Lily! Where in Merlin's pants is James?" Stunning vocabulary mum, really. I rolled my eyes, turning around to meet the irritated eyes of my mother.

"James! I told you not to wander off. We Potter/Weasley's say good-bye as a family," I mouthed the second portion of her short speech in sync with her and earned a quick scolding. I swear, Mum is turning into my grandmum more and more each day. That's really scary, mind you. As much as I love my grandmum Molly, she's a scary woman she is. Step one two out of line and she'll obliterate you. Both of them were predictable too, I swear, one of them told this speech once every few months. They like to say it's a Weasley family motto but I'm pretty sure they are the only two who care.

Anyway, I had been standing in the same spot since Lily had run off to say hi to her friends and Dad had decided to follow when he saw one of them was a boy. So, I hadn't in fact wandered off. However, when I vocalized this, Mum slapped me. What is with my family and violence? Considering she was a professional Quidditch chaser, her blow really did hurt and I recoiled, letting out a string of colorful vocabulary. Albus was grinning like an idiot a few paces away—that git. And Lily joined him, her eyes screaming: "I told you so!"

"Mum—Can I go now? I'm sure Fred is waiting for me…" Mum rolled her eyes, her arms crossed tightly across her chest as she surveyed me.

"You've seen him all summer, you don't think he can wait two more minutes?" She was smiling though, so I knew she wasn't annoyed. Before I could protest she pulled me into a hug, planting a affectionate kiss on top of my head.

"Oi! Merlin's pants woman, not in public!" I shrugged her off and I swear my entire family heard. And I mean my entire family. Most erupted into small giggles, muttering something or other about my antics. They aren't antics. I've just got an image to uphold. I scowled, my brows knitting as I composed myself, huffing.

"Jamie, I just can't believe it's your last year!" No, Mum, that isn't acceptable justification for your answers. She was giving me a wolfish grin, however, my siblings wearing similar expressions.

"I've already said bye to the rest of the clan, including dad. Can I go now?" I sounded slightly desperate and I was; Fred was always so much better at weaseling away from the family than I was. And I know for a fact he was sitting comfortably with one of our roommates, Austin Smith. I gave them the job of trying to convince Tycho Wood to sit with us—if he came Artemis would surely come. And I know for a fact Austin wouldn't mind Artemis's other friend, Tuesday, sharing a compartment with us. However, the chances of that group joining us on our ride to Hogwarts was slim, it's a known fact that the Gryffindor boy's dorm is split into two sections. The first being Austin, Fred, and myself, and the other Gryffindor was Tycho.

He never got along the greatest with us, even from the get-go. He's a little blunt to put it slightly, and while the rest of us are the glass is half full, he is definitely a pessimist. Don't get me wrong, I like Tycho, he's an alright bloke once you get to know him. He just didn't fit in as well with the rest of us. And then, he began hanging around with Artemis and Tuesday in second year when he and Artemis made beaters together.

Then of course the lovely temptress fed him lies about how I was evil and not to be trifled with.

Just kidding, Artemis is too lovely to do a thing like that.

She probably just told him I was a git and he agreed. Humph.

Mum waved me away though and I swear I saw tears brimming in the corner of her eyes. She was never sentimental that women, but I suppose it had something to do with her oldest being "all grown up".

"Save the waterworks, please mum!" I gave her a grin as my final farewell and she smiled. I took that as my cue that I was finally allowed to go, and I turned on my heel, heading for the nearest doorway onto the Hogwarts express.

Oh. Fancy that. Looks like I've crossed paths with just the right person.

She was searching for somewhere, or someone, no doubt me. I always knew she loved me deep down. Her back was turned to me so I took a moment to mentally prepare myself for the wonderful conversation I was about to have with the love of my life.

She's not really the love of my life. Let's have that be known. The fancy of my life.

Alright, anyway, here we go. First, there will be no calling her Laggy. Okay James? Good James. We know Artemis hates that. She'll probably punch you in the face. Second, make no mention of your captaincy. It was hers in the first place, you have no grounds to rub it in. Plus, she'll probably punch you in the face. Third, make no mention of her accident. She'll probably punch you in the face. Fourth, be suave, so she doesn't want to punch you in the face. Punching you in the face would surely put a damper on the plan you took so long to concoct over the summer. Therefore, we will conclude this motivational speech with being punched in the face will not be a good end to the conversation you are about to have, therefore let us avoid it at all costs.

Good job James, that should help a ton.

"Laggy McLaggen, have I got news for you," In one sentence I had managed to break two of the rules. Congratulations, that should be a new record. I winced inwardly, though tried to keep my composure on the inside, keeping my wolfish grin. I could swear I swa her cringed when she heard my voice. Well that's good news. My grin, however, met a wicked scowl, her features contorted into something of sheer disdain. She was probably about to tell me to go away, but then I caught sight of her scars.

I heard all about what happened. I should say that first. My dad is head Auror, he was the first to be sent after the werewolf who did this. My adoptive brother of sorts works in St. Mungos, he was one of the healers charged with healing her. I had heard about the severity of the case, about how her parents arrived just in time to spare her the fate of being bitten. However, I knew then that she didn't feel very blessed about being spared that. My grin diminished as was replaced by something of an awestruck look, my brows knitted and I took a step forward as if to get a closer look.

"So it's true…?" A look of pure disgust and then—Smack. I frowned, my left hand stung, I hadn't even realized I had been reaching for her face. What was wrong with me? That was just rude; I was supposed to be comforting her, not staring at her like she was some freak. Which she wasn't, let me tell you. Contrary to the belief of many, Teddy did a really superb job at fixing her up.

"No shit Sherlock, who would be moronic enough to start a rumor like that?" My eyes snapped up to meet hers, I had just realized I had been staring at the marks again. No! Bad James! I just practically broke a third rule. I was mentally scolding myself as I attempted to look past the scornful look Artemis had been giving me. Ah, how I missed her.

Wait—was she leaving already. No, I hadn't even had the chance to apologize yet. If only I could have a redo button. Oh, the number of times I would be pushing that around Artemis. She brushed past me, her elbow catching mine in her haste. I instinctively reached out and caught her wrist, only to have her immediately jerk it out of my grasp.

"Listen James, I'm not in the mood for your gloating. You got Quidditch Captain. Congratu-fucking-lations," No! I wasn't going to gloat! Just let me speak! My brain was screaming a million different responses, a million different apologies, but my lips didn't move an inch. Thankfully, my legs were still responsive, and I easily slid in front of Artemis, successfully blocking her route. Score one for the agile keeper.

"James,"

"I wasn't going to gloat," Yes! I can talk! Though while my brain was celebrating, my subconscious was still aching about how she expected the worst from me. I could tell my lips were a tight line, and my brows were still knitted. She turned to face this face for a moment, and I caught of glimpse of empathy, before he expression was replaced for the usual one of disdain.

"That's a shocker,"

I let her go this time, I don't know why. Probably because my brain couldn't handle both my mouth and my limbs at once, and since I had just said something not completely incorrigible, it was unable to function moving my feet. I was hurt, to be blunt, I'm not dim. I could practically taste the sarcasm in her words. I watched her back as she moved farther down the train, waiting until she disappeared behind a hoard of first years to follow her.

Not really follow her; I had no intentions of actually catching back up to her.

My feet were dragging along the tight carpeted floor; I lazily glanced into each compartment as I searched for Fred and Austin. They were a few compartments away from where I began, thank Merlin, my limbs began to feel heavy and my head began to swim. I desperately needed to sit down. I slammed open the compartment door and threw myself on the nearest seat, thankfully it wasn't occupied. After I found myself settled, I realized it was in fact just Fred, Austin and I in this compartment. It wasn't a surprise they failed their mission.

"Sorry, mate. Tycho said he wanted to talk to Artemis and Tuesday alone," It sounded like Fred was apologizing to both Austin and I. Ever since the end of last term Austin had been lusting after Tuesday Jones, saying he had "seen the light". I say lust because his affections are in no way, shape, or form as severe as my feelings for Artemis. I trump him. Anyway, Fred was looking genuine and Austin crestfallen. At that moment I probably just looked beaten.

Let me describe to you my two best friends. The first is the lovely Mister Fred Percival Weasley, oldest of two, and a dear cousin of mine. Grandmum always said that the Weasley clan usually paired up in twos, all my cousins and I had found a relative they were closest to. It sounds kind of bad; we usually phrase it in a way that suggests that we have a cousin we love more than the rest. As sad as it is, it's slightly true, and we've all accepted it long ago. I've got Fred, we are roughly the same age, a few months apart, and we've got the same passion for humor. He inherits it from his dad who runs a joke shop, and I've got my granddad, my namesake. Ergo, we make a wicked pair. Albus says he's closest to Rose, and Lily claims to be close to Louis. It's just how things worked out.

Second, we've got Austin Smith. He's American, he moved to England just before the start of the term in our first year. He said his family went to Salem back in the United States somewhere. He's a bit more logically than either Fred or I is, he makes up for all the common sense Fred and I lack. He's got a really witty sense of humor too, I always said Artemis would get along really well with him if not for the fact that he hangs out with me, and she avoids me like the plague. He's the equivalent of Remus Lupin from the original Marauders. Without the werewolf. All in all, they are the two best friends I have got.

"I ran into her anyway, as I got on the train," I gave them a weak smile and a shrug, nestling myself back into the comfy compartment seats. I glanced to see both Fred and Austin were already happily snacking on chocolate frogs. Shite, I missed the candy lady. What a start to the year.

Fred glanced at me, his brows knitted as he tried to decipher my expression. "And…? That can't be all that happened,"

"She basically told me to fuck off. With nicer words and I meaner tone," I scrunched my nose, unable to avoid lightening the mood. I didn't like being serious, I didn't like fretting about petty things like how the fancy of my like despised my guts. Unfortunately my insides still ached. Austin and Fred chuckled though; obviously pleased to hear I wasn't clinically depressed about the encounter.

"I wouldn't sweat it, mate. It is Artemis McLaggen we are talking about."

How was James's POV? I'm still trying to work out the kinks, I'm not quite happy with how've I've written him. You'd think I'd be a little more familiar with how I wanted his personality to be before I began this chapter. But with how busy I've been it was a little rushed. I promise I'll try to update sooner, I've just got so many exams. Give me about three weeks and things will have calmed down considerably! Oh, and please review! Thanks so much for reading so far!