Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize from any real movie, book, etc. is mine. Not at all. But I would like to point out that some things in this story (my own made up characters and places, for example) came from my very own brain. They sure did. Because I have a working one of those things. Yup.

Title: Advice and Adherence

Time: November 2021 - December 2021

Love and Dedication

It's a universal truth that different people love different things. Furthermore, those who don't appreciate what others love may simply show no regard for that subject at all, rather than hating it. However, the way people show their love or indifference isn't always distinct.

Books and reading, for example, were outlets for the imagination to the point where people like Dee felt as if they could travel the world by turning a page, or sources of knowledge to enrich their mind. To others, books held no importance because they had better activities to do than sit quietly with a bunch of words on a bunch of pages.

But one of the most popular subjects with opposing opinions is Quidditch. Quidditch, to some, was a form of entertainment. To others, it was a distraction. It was either something one loved or didn't. But to those who played the sport, as James did, Quidditch was a way of life. They read books about it. They drew up plays and discussed strategies and shared tips.

In the most extreme sense, that handful of people lived Quidditch and breathed Quidditch and dreamed Quidditch.

The Hogwarts Quidditch Teams included such people. It was almost time to go home for Christmas, but even a holiday wouldn't keep players away from the pitch. And as Captain of the Gryffindor team, James Potter was determined to face their next match head on when they returned to Hogwarts after going home for the holidays.

James Potter

It didn't matter that it was snowing. No one cared that the air was cold enough to numb fingers and toes within minutes. To James and the rest of his team, practice was more important than staying warm and relaxing on the last Saturday before holidays. In their minds, training in harsher conditions was better preparation for a match, for there was no telling what weather they would compete in. It may have been an early morning practice, the temperature freezing, but the cold only pushed James and his team further.

Practice was immensely successful. Gwen Wood's wrist had fully healed, and her passes were crisper than ever. Adam Middleton was in a particularly good mood, which in turn rubbed off on Trevor Cole, the newest addition and one of the youngest, most inexperienced players. Trevor's yells of delight when he successfully knocked the bludger away from an unsuspecting Lily sparked some healthy competition in Fred, his counterpart, so together the two Beaters had their best practice.

Even when he trod into the Great Hall for lunch, tired but freshly cleaned from his shower, James could still feel a sense of accomplishment that came from being the Captain of an abundantly talented team. On the way to his usual spot at the long Gryffindor table, James passed Rose, who was chatting poor Dee Collins' ear off. Besides Collins sat Al, who didn't seem to be taking part in their conversation and was instead writing what looked like a letter, which reminded James that he had yet to reply to his mum. Then right before James reached his seat next to Fred, another person caught his eye- Beth Coulson, who was sitting with Donoghue.

"Have you finished that essay for Desdairio?" Fred asked in between bites of his meal as James sat down, still distracted.

"Hmm? Oh, no. Haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Why bother asking, Weasley?" Aiden Thomas spoke up, teasing. "Would he give it to you even if he had?"

James laughed, but Fred scowled. "Tosser," he muttered. To James, he asked with averted eyes, "Could I borrow it when you finish?"

James laughed even more even more at his cousin's hesitancy. "Of course, mate."

Rose's cat Titan rubbed against James' outstretched legs. He was reading Quidditch Through the Ages for about the thousandth time because he had nothing else to do. He was bored, and it was slightly unnerving. Al was chatting with Rose, who had dropped by, and Lily was watching something on the Muggle television. He, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing to do. James set down his book without bothering to mark his place and stood up, bringing the cat with him. He wandered outside to the back porch, looking beyond the garden at the Quidditch pitch.

James realized that with the relaxed atmosphere at home, a stark contrast to that of which he had grown accustomed to at Hogwarts, came more time to think about the usually pointless aspects of his life. Girls, for instance, weren't typically on his mind, mostly because he was too preoccupied with the upcoming Quidditch match or keeping his marks up. And his future, his career, never threateningly loomed ahead. Yet James suddenly found he had nothing else to do but think- about girls, about the future, and even about himself.

He wouldn't dare bring up girls with Al and especially not with his mum or dad. Al had more friends than he could count, so there was a huge chance he'd know whoever James expressed interest in. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. Mum, however, wasn't a reliable source whatsoever. She found corny pick-up lines endearingly funny and delighted in embarrassing James, as did Dad, although Dad wasn't nearly as bad. No good advice could ever come from them. So really, James was left to his own thoughts and opinions.

His mind first strayed to Beth Coulson. She had been a short-lived desire, not quite living up to the expectations James had. Beth was even-tempered, rational, and pretty, but it stopped there. James, after a handful of dates, couldn't handle any more. She was a relatively insubstantial person, and he wasn't as comfortable with her as he'd have liked to be.

But after having so many fleeting relationships that only somewhat worked throughout his years at Hogwarts, he felt like he was missing something. But James had no idea what it could be.

As for his future, James always believed he'd play Quidditch. He'd grown up playing and his mother went professional, so there had never been another career that seemed worthy enough to him. But this year he realized how much success he had in school, especially when he really tried. So James, for once in his life, was undecided regarding his future.

There was one statement that has held true throughout his life, though: no matter the situation, James hopes to be happy.

Dee Collins

Christmas holidays with the Collins family were relatively the same every year. Matilda would come to stay, Lee would be in and out of the house with little to no explanation, Jude would cook warm dinners, and Dee would be in her favorite chair by the fire with her nose stuck in a book. Occasionally she'd bundle up and head outdoors to catch fresh air and enjoy the snow, but so far this year there had been no sign of snowfall.

At least Aunt Mattie was around to spice up the mood, albeit not as effectively as she usually would. As promised, she told Dee tales of her little adventure, as she called it, but to Dee her act was too forced. Mattie looked paler, she didn't seem as well-kept as usual, and a shadow would cross her face when she assumed no one was looking. It bothered Dee, it really did. She wanted to know why, to understand what was going on.

But as there was nothing else she could think to do, Dee went on as she usually did. It wasn't until the day before Christmas that her routine hit a glitch. Lee was home entire day, which was odd in itself, and he'd taken it upon himself to bring Dee outdoors and go for a fly.

She trudged beside him towards the field behind their house. "Don't you have cooler, older friends that you'd rather be with?" she asked, hoping he'd take the bait and leave her alone.

Lee grinned and pinched her cheek. "They're not nearly as cool as you, my dear baby sister." They had reached the broom shed and Lee brought out his old broom. "Besides, you need some fresh air."

"But I took a walk this morning."

"Then you need some fresh, high above ground air."

Dee, defeated, scowled and crossed her arms. "Sod off."

She didn't actually have a problem with flying, for she knew the basics, but in her opinion it was much too cold to do anything outdoors. The air was crisp and there was a frigid wind whipping her hair around her face. Adding the chill to the altitude they would climb to, Dee was positive her fingers would freeze off.

"C'mon Dee," Lee prodded. "I know you're not a bad flyer. I taught you. Besides, you won't even feel the cold after a while."

Dee rolled her eyes and retorted, "Yeah, because my whole body will be numb."

Lee laughed and handed her a broomstick. "Grab some gloves, then." Dee did as told and waited for him to shut the entrance when they were both done. "We're going to Wood's house." Dee assumed he meant Alex Wood, a Gryffindor who graduated the previous year. Despite the fact that the Wood family had lived in the next town over since they were all young, she had no idea what business Lee had with Alex.

"Why? Does mum or dad know where we're headed?" Dee asked.

Ignoring Dee's questions, Lee mounted his broom and hovered in the air, teasing her. "Let's go then!"

As she predicted, the trip to the Wood's house was windy and freezing, numbing Dee's fingers and face. By the time they touched solid ground again, she could hardly move her mouth to talk or take her gloves off. They had landed in front of the house, so Dee followed Lee to the door. He didn't even have to knock, because Gwen opened the door as soon as they reached it. She greeted them with an easy, "Hey." She then turned to Lee and said, "He's upstairs."

Lee nodded once before taking off towards the stairs. Dee didn't understand why Lee made it such a big deal that she come along when he was just going to leave her alone, but she decided she may as well stay until he finished up. Even though this was not her first time at the Wood's house, there were certainly some major changes, and since she and Gwen weren't close, Dee wandered alone. She found herself walking up the staircase, halting at the top.

"Collins!" James Potter and Fred Weasley had just exited a room off to her right. "What are you doing here?"

Unable to think of a decent excuse fast enough, Dee replied, "I'm here with my brother."

Fred's eyes narrowed. "Your brother is here?" he asked, glancing James.

"Yes," she said, "but I'm not sure where."

Just then, both Alex and Lee exited what could only be Alex's bedroom. Lee spotted Dee, James, and Fred and his grin faltered. James' gaze locked in on the notebook clutched in Lee's hand and his eyes widened. He looked to Alex, suspicious.

"Look, mate," Alex said, "I gave you my playbook, didn't I? Collins only needed some advice on training new Chasers, and I agreed to give him some tips."

Dee should've known Quidditch was the reason Lee wanted to come here. It made sense, too, when she thought about it. Alex was the former Captain of the Gryffindor team, and he led a fantastic team. Now that Lee was Slytherin's Captain, he had to run practices, and the Slytherin team didn't have many returning players to help train the team.

James sighed and disappeared down the stairs. Fred shrugged and followed him, leaving Dee with Lee and Alex. "He'll get over it," Alex said, mostly for Dee's benefit. "It's his first year as Captain, so James just wants to have a successful year. Can't have an enemy who knows your secrets," he joked. "No offense, Collins."

"None taken," Lee replied.

Dee almost felt bad for Potter, but Quidditch was beyond her and she felt sure he'd get over it.

Christmas Day passed in a blur, until suddenly Dee found herself anxiously anticipating the Christmas party the next day. All she knew about it was the dress code and a few of the guests. She knew there would be plenty of high-ranking adults around, and that made her feel both excited and panicky. Aunt Mattie had taken her shopping earlier in the week for something new to wear, and she ended up picking out a burgundy, velvet, and sleeveless dress, with a sweater to wear over it. Strictly speaking, Dee didn't wear dresses often, and this one was surely out of her comfort zone, but Aunt Mattie insisted and that was that.

Dee wasn't nervous for long, however, because she had tons to do to distract her mind. She received many new books for Christmas and planned to read them all now, when she had the time to. She could fret about the party once she got there.

A/N: So I apologize again for taking so long… apparently this is an issue with me. I'd like to briefly explain something, though: I know the timeline is kind of wonky because of a) my horrible updating skills and b) the fact that one chapter could potentially hold a span of a few weeks, and I also know the setting may be either confusing or basically nonexistent for those of you who don't know much about the world of Harry Potter, but I'm working on both of those. However, I am intentionally skipping from scene to scene and giving insights to both Dee's and James' lives because they are the two main characters in this story, although I know it doesn't quite seem like it yet (spoiler maybe? idk). So if it helps, this chapter begins at the very end of the first term of the Hogwarts school year, right before students can go home for Christmas, and then it progresses into the holidays. If you have any further questions, I have diagrams and stuff up on my fic blog (link on my profile), so you can check there or you could message me. Sorry for the looooong note as well...