Anywhere But Here -- Andromeda

[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

Detention. It was something that James Potter had experienced a lot of over the years. An awful lot. He was quite proud actually that he had an entire draw to himself in the caretaker’s office full of detention slips and notes of discipline. It had made him seem cool and rebellious, he’d gone where no Hogwarts student had ever stepped before. He was James Potter: King of Mischief and his legend would live within the walls of Hogwarts for many, many years to come, of that he was sure. But now he was actually past caring about that. This year he had vowed to actually stay out of trouble. Sirius hadn’t liked this new attitude in James. Sirius had wanted to show the stinking Slytherins exactly what they thought of the new rules by setting the dungeons on fire or putting poison in the food meant for the Slytherin table at dinner. But James had been adamant that a big statement like that would not work. That they had to work underground to build their army like the Order of the Phoenix was doing currently. Neither James or Sirius had ever had much room for patience and that had not changed in Sirius but James on the other hand was willing to bide his time.

But he had still managed to land himself in detention several times already this year. Because sometimes he just could not live by the new rules and he wouldn’t live by them. There was no way he’d be using unforgivable curses on first years or testing whether poison antidotes worked on muggleborns. And there were some grudges within James that he would never, ever be able to let go of and that was his grudge against the entire Slytherin house. And so when he had been partnered with Andromeda Black for a Potions class homework project he had stubbornly refused. He and Andromeda had been given a time that they would be able to use one of the dungeon classrooms to do their study but James had not turned up. And when the project had not been handed in the next day, Slughorn had quickly called detention and demanded that he and Andromeda do it that evening.

James grumbled as he made the long trip from Gryffindor tower down to the potions classroom. He had wanted to spend this evening with Lily. He had made such progress with her recently and they were supposed to be doing their duties together this evening but instead he had to leave her alone (something he did not at all feel comfortable doing given the current circumstances at the school) and spend his time with one of Sirius’ family. He had never found Andromeda particularly intimidating or problematic as such but she was a Slytherin, she was one of them unlike the maverick that was his best friend and so despite Padfoot’s words of belief in her, Prongs did not share his best mate’s trust.

He was sure Slughorn had partnered them together simply because he didn’t like James. He never had done. Just because James couldn’t brew a potion to save his life. Quite literally. It was a subject he had struggled with the most but he had managed to pass and because of his ambitions to become an auror, had grudgingly continued to study it. He only liked the subject because he got to watch Lily shine. Even if Sluggy pawed all over like some lecherous old walrus. He entered the classroom, banging the door open to find Andromeda already there. He was ten minutes late but she was lucky he had even turned up at all again. ”Let’s get this over with.” He said bluntly, dropping advanced potions making onto the desk next to her and slouching down in the chair. The potion they were supposed to be observing the changes of over the next two hours was already bubbling away. ”Have I missed anything exciting?” He asked his voice dry with bored sarcasm.

tagged Andromeda
words 688 o.o my starts aren’t usually that long!
notes Ta-dah. Hope it’s okay!

[ANDROMEDA NIOBE BLACK]

Andromeda made her way down the corridor towards the potions classroom. Never, in her whole seven years at Hogwarts had she received a detention. It just wasn’t done, not by her at least. That and her grades were the only things her parents found redeemable about her time at Hogwarts. She remembered Professor Slughorn’s face when he’d found out about their potion distaster. He expected more of her, she knew. She wasn’t his favorite student by any means as that honor was reserved for the perfect Miss Lily, but she was a well-mannered girl who turned in quality work. Traits any teacher would appreciate, which would explain why he found this so shocking. He’d also told her that he’d be writing to her parents about her actions.

Even now, hours later, her stomach clenched the same way it had when he had told her this, like everything was being ripped and twisted into a tiny, impenetrable ball. And all this because James Potter couldn’t set aside his pride for two seconds and work with her.

She sighed, she knew he hadn’t meant for this to happen, but did he have any idea the trouble he had caused her? This was literally all she had. Her parents already scolded her for not for her behavior. She was too quiet, too submissive. Not at all strong willed like her sisters. They thought her weak, and she was inclined to agree with them. And there was no place for weakness in the black’s family. But she was smart, she got better marks than either of her sisters and she never misbehaved. So rather than discard her or smite her, they tolerated her, but even then only barely. But after they found out about this, they’d be furious, and she shuddered to think of how they would act on that fury. And when they found out she’d gotten in trouble with James Potter, the boy they blamed for corrupting Sirius? They would assume the two of them had plotted together or something, despite all the evidence that pointed to the contrary. Her life had become indefinitely more complicated, and as far as she was concerned it was entirely his fault.

Needless to say she was very fond of Mr. Potter at the moment. She had reached the door and slipped inside, slouching into the chair and resting her head in her hands. This kind of—informality—wasn’t at all how she should behave, and she knew she could not let Potter catch her in this position so she quickly straightened, waiting. As the minutes ticked by her bitter depression turned to irritation, and then anger. It was his fault she was in this mess but he didn’t even have the decency to show up? By the time he arrived she was close to screaming, but Meda Black had always prided herself on control and she was not about to let that change because of him. She eyed him coolly as he entered. She had never liked James, and it was only her respect for Sirius that had kept her from throttling him—figuratively— in potions that day. But she knew she had to give him some credit, for the things she admired most in her cousin had been partially brought out by him. And she knew how close the two of them were. Sirius was her hero, and he was the only person she didn’t have to pretend for and she would not risk that for anything. But James was truly trying her temper with his attitude.

She narrowed her eyes. “The most exciting thing thus far would have to be your dramatic entrance. Tell me; is this a habit of yours? Arriving late and expecting others to cover for your absence?” She knew, he, unlike her, was quite accustomed to this and therefore he might not take it seriously. But what would’ve happened if Slughorn had decided to check on them, and had found James absent? She had a feeling she would’ve been blamed for that as well. She sighed, she shouldn’t have made that comment regardless of how deserved it was. For it would only make their already unendurably long evening an eternity.

Tagged: James
Word Count: 701—also not usually this long.
Notes: This is perfect! It's going to be interesting...

[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

A sense of humour was something that James prided himself on having. He could make a joke out of anything. laughing was easy, it was good, it made the world seem like a brighter, better place even when it wasn’t. Making people laugh, and laughing at himself and not taking things too seriously was what James was an expert at. Brightening the mood with a joke or two was what he would usually do in a situation like this. No neither of them wanted to be in detention, but James could, if he so wanted to, make it seem fun, exchange a bit of light-hearted banter with her because he could be an extremely likeable conversational wizard. But he did not want to be that person with Andromeda. She was a Slytherin; someone to be suspicious of and even though he usually tended to make the best of a bad situation he could not bring himself to do it tonight. He couldn’t ever bring himself to do it with Slytherins; they weren’t worth his time or effort. He’d only be fighting a losing battle anyway.

And so when Andromeda narrowed her elegantly aristocratic eyes at him, illustrating her disdain at his lateness, instead of cracking a joke like he would’ve done to calm anybody else down, he narrowed his eyes right back. ”Well I am an exciting person to be around. I’m sure you were just as thrilled as I am to be partnered up with me.” His voice was heavy with sarcasm yet again. It was a type of humour he usually despised, the lowest form of wit and all that, but he couldn’t help it around her currently. He looked across at her at her next words. ”Did you cover for me?” There was a hint of surprise evident in his voice. If Slughorn had turned up or been here to initiate their detention, had she really made up a lie to the Potions Master, told him that James had told her he might be late, used Quidditch practice as an excuse maybe? Or was she simply just trying to make him feel guilty? He thought the latter option was more probable.

Not bothering to look at her as she answered (because chances were she was going to blush and look away herself, trying to act apologetic for insinuating that she was actually a good, friendly Slytherin who would cover for her “favourite cousin’s” best friend.) He wrenched open advanced potion making searching for the right page, flicking the pages over with such force that he ripped several of them. After finding the right page he shoved the textbook between them, partly so they could both use it and partly to form a sort of barrier. You stay on your side, I’ll stay on mine. Animosity filled the air thickly. Waves of injustice and frustration were emulating from the Head Boy so strongly he wouldn’t be surprised if Andromeda could feel them.

He pulled his quill from inside his robes and thrust it into the ink pot already on his desk before eventually looking back at her, something missing from his setup. Something vital if he was going to ever get this project handed in. ”Do you have a spare piece of parchment?” He had the grace to look slight embarrassed for asking. She didn’t owe him any help whatsoever; why should she so much as look at him let alone do him such a small, frankly insignificant favour. He realised suddenly that he didn’t expect her to help and that actually he didn’t want her to. ”Forget it.” He decided quickly, standing up and glancing around the room, wondering where Sluggy kept sheaths of parchment. ”I’ll search out a piece.” Yes, James was just that prideful that he wouldn’t even accept a piece of parchment from a Slytherin. That was the last time he would ask her for help, of that he was determined. They would spend the next two hours in silence and James might just be able to forget that she was there.

tagged Andromeda
words 678
notes Glad you like it! xD

[ANDROMEDA NIOBE BLACK]

Andromeda was unsure of how Mr. Potter would react. It was true that he did not like her, but she doubted he would find her jab particularly insulting. She had also heard from—sources—that Mr. Potter was a rather arrogant individual, and though she didn’t put much stock in rumors he certainly had acted superior to her when they’d been assigned with partners. He scarcely even looked at her! She was a Slytherin, the scum of the earth, not fit to wipe the slime form his boots. Never mind the fact that she had done nothing to deserve it, not really. Alright so perhaps she had not stopped the activities of her classmates, but she had done nothing to support them either. Yet he treated her as though she were personally responsible for every bad thing that had happened at this school.

So perhaps she was not at all surprised when his eyes narrowed, quite absent of their usual lightness of humor as he retorted back a similarly disdainful reply. Her lips pressed into a tight line. She was not wrong about his conceit, she could see, though she could also tell his heart was not truly in it. He must truly despise her.

“I would’ve been thrilled to finish this assignment the first time around and be done with it.” She said, glaring. “Then you wouldn’t have been forced to endure my presence once again, and I won’t deny I’ll be quite glad to be free of your company.” She was surprised the moment the words were out of her mouth. She was not usually one to seek out contention; in fact she usually went to great lengths to avoid it. Did Mr. Potter really irritate her that much? Except she didn’t think that was the reason—although he was irritating. But considering her emotional state of mind…she was so close to her breaking point right now. It was like she was, a…a steaming cauldron that was letting off little puffs of heat to relive the pressure that was threatening to explode. She hoped it was enough, for Mr. Potter was already seeing more of her—other side—than she was remotely comfortable with. And if she were to truly lose control…she shuddered again at that thought as well.

She opened her mouth to reply to his question, honestly, but he was no longer looking at her. Clearly he did not care for an answer and she did not care to give one. She snapped her mouth shut, returning to the potion. Perhaps they could continue the rest of night like this, in uneasy silence…

”Do you have a spare piece of parchment?”

She glanced up, startled. Then his words began to sink in. He had openly refused to work with her, embarrassing her In front of her classmates. He had caused her not only to receive her first failing grade but also first detention. Led her into a tight corner with her parents that terrified her to no end. Showed up late, and he hadn’t even come prepared? And he then had the nerve to ask her for help. But even as the anger bubbled up under her he realized his mistake.

“Forget it.” She intended too. She forced herself to deflate, to focus back on the potion. But she couldn’t help but glance at him out of the corner of her eyes. She didn’t know where the professor kept extra parchment, as she wasn’t that observational. After a moment of watching him, though, she felt herself soften just a bit. They were in this mess because they hadn’t worked together, and if she going to get this over with, then she was going to have to overcome her pride.

“Here,” she said with a resigned sigh, reaching into her bag and pulling out a piece of parchment which she slid over to him. “Use this.”

tagged: James Potter
word count:630
notes: sorry it took so long

[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

It was nice to know the feeling was mutual. He glowered heavily at the cauldron as she spoke, not even doing the duty of looking at her. He was however quite glad to hear she was mad at him and would rather not be spending time with him either. He didn’t think he could bear it to think that a Slytherin might actually like him. He couldn’t be doing with that, it’d be strange and would go against everything that he believed in and would most certainly break the status quo and that was something that James did not like to think of happening. He was very set in his ways as well as very judgemental. Gryffindors and Slytherins hated each other and had to forever, whatever the circumstances. It just wouldn’t be Hogwarts if it wasn’t that way. In his opinion it would not be better if everyone just got along as the Sorting hat pleaded them all to do this year.

He didn’t reply which in itself was fairly odd but he really wasn’t in a great mood today. And so he merely huffed a bit, kicking at the table leg with his shoe in some vain attempt to distract his thoughts and dispense of some of the anger and injustice inside of him. Needless to say it wasn’t very effective. And the feelings of anger and injustice were not long later joined with embarrassment, the pale red tinge in his cheeks fairly evident as was Andromeda’s surprise even though James was resolutely not looking at her as if that might make up for the fact that he had just added to the number of reasons why she must dislike him at this present moment in time. Not that he particularly cared that she didn’t like him. It was his turn to look surprised however when she finally spoke again. His eyes snapped to her, thinking that he must’ve misheard but no, she was rooting in her bag and she placed on the table a perfectly useable (and James’ mischief making eyes could tell, untainted) sheaf of parchment.

He stared at it, hesitating. Now this was a tricky situation. Did he go off searching through the classroom for a piece of parchment in order to save his pride? Or did he accept what Andromeda was giving him in order to save the time it might take to find what he needed in the many drawers and cabinets of this classroom? And James certainly didn’t know where anything was kept; it would take up precious time that he could be using to work on getting the project finished and thus away from Andromeda quickly. But he really didn’t want to accept anything from her.... He had this internal argument as he stood, fingers gripping the edge of the desk. Finally a side won and he rammed himself back down on his seat hard, bruising his backside a little as he pulled the parchment over to his side of the desk with a grunt of a ”Thank you.”

All that could be heard for a length of time was the bubbling and hissing of the potion in front of them and the scratching of quills on parchment as James furiously scribbled away, making rather a mess of his work but he didn’t care. He soon hit a brick wall however and ran out of things to write and began tapping his foot against the table leg again. Minutes ticked by, perhaps even hours and still James said nothing. He was quite sure he hadn’t been this silent ever in his life. ”I can’t take this anymore!” He burst out, dropping his quill. ”Can we please talk about something? Anything. The silence is killing me.” He tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling and preying to Merlin to forgive him for wanting to converse with a Slytherin in order to cure his boredom.

[ANDROMEDA NIOBE BLACK]

He didn’t respond, and she couldn’t decide whether that was positive or negative. It was probably positive, as the longer this conversation drug on the more contention it invited. Even as they settled into an uneasy silence, she could feel the tension bubbly between them, liquid fire that had temporarily cooled, waiting for one of them to stir it up again. Well, it was going to be her, she decided.

She jumped when he kicked the chair, it wasn’t a hard kick, but the violent gesture startled her. She would have almost preferred he said something instead. Words, she could handle, she could fight. This, felt unpredictable. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe, to not let this comparatively small gesture disturb her. Her shoulders felt tight, and her hands quivered slightly, but she remained quiet, not even glancing over at him. If she did not react, then he would eventually cool down and she wouldn’t have to fear his actions any longer.

Yet she couldn’t help stealing a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. She could see that he was still angry; she wouldn’t even have to see his face to know that. The way he seemed to be trying to get as far away from her as possible without leaving the confines of his chair was answer enough. All this because of name she’d been born too and a decision she’d had no control over. She wondered what her life would be like, if she hadn’t been aBblack, if she’d been born in a family like his, a family to which heritage didn’t mean life or death. Would she have still been in Slytherin? She didn’t think so, she was already separated from them enough, her family being the only thing that gave her any place at all. What house would she have been? Not Gryffindor, she would still be the same, timid Meda, maybe Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Yes, Ravenclaw, she did love her studies after all, more than most of her housemates. It would have been nice to be in Ravenclaw, she would have been accepted there, she felt.

Or what if there wasn’t a sorting at all? If she didn’t where this label like a brand? Would Mr. Potter be so quick to hate her then? Or would he be able to look past her family, the way he had with Sirius? She shook her head. It didn’t matter. Not really. Her family was rooted in her blood, she knew that, and that was something she could not overcome, no matter what house she belonged too.

She saw him hesitate, and she stiffened? What was he going to do, refuse? Did he have any desire to learn from his past mistakes? And it was only a piece of parchment, so what could his dilemma be now? Was he afraid that he might catch her…supremacy notions if he used a paper she’d touched? She felt her hands clenched, and she began quivering, but before any more frustration could escape he took the parchment, thanking her. She let out a breath, deflating like a balloon. So he was capable of being reasonable, that was good to know. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and returning to the assignment.
The problem was there wasn’t much to do. The potions activity was stagnating, and she had no idea how long before it picked up again. She entertained herself by trying to translate her paper into ancient Greek, a laborious task, but it beat fretting about her partner again.

His exclamation broke her concentration, and her heart stuttered briefly. It took her a moment to register that he was talking, and then what he was saying, and then what that meant. At first she was too shocked to say anything. She’d thought he’d preferred this, same as her. He must be truly desperate. But he could wallow in that all he wanted. She was not about to indulge him. It was his fault for everything, even the silence was his fault. But to ignore him would matter worse, she felt. A bunch of biting responses rushed to the end of her tongue and she struggled to hold them back. She had promised herself she wouldn’t incite his anger again, though she had underestimated how challenging that would be. She took another deep breath, forcing her stress down. She paused, deliberating, and then finally breathed.
“You an interesting character, Mr. Potter.” Her voice was calm, but tight, and she knew that a faint hint of malice lingered on her words.

[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

The problem was that James Potter just could not do silence. And awkward silences especially were not good at all. He was never able to sit still, even now at seventeen years old he was like a hyperactive four year old always wanting to jump around the place, looking curious, asking questions, conversing with people and making jokes. His parents had called him uncontrollable, they still did now. His father used to comment that he must have ants his pants because he was always bouncing around. He just liked to be active and engage with people. Tense, serious, silence. They were all things that James did not like, could not deal with and was experiencing right now.

He wondered how Andromeda was feeling about it. She obviously didn’t want to be here anymore than he did but surely she was more used to this sort of atmosphere. He could imagine that coming from the strictest Black family she had to spend hours in silence, a good little well behaved pureblood surrounded by tense up on their high horse, serious adults as they debated how to kill off all the muggleborns or something. Plus Andromeda was the quiet type as James had learned from spending six years in classes with her. She kept her head down and did her work good as gold. She wasn’t one to jump in with answers or chatter away. This was probably ideal for her and that just annoyed James more.

What he did know and what he could tell however was that he was irritating her too. Good. He thought bitterly because it wasn’t like he should care how she felt. She was the enemy. Well, she was, he had to at least admit, one of the more tolerable Slytherins in that she had never actually caused anyone any harm as far as he knew, and Sirius seemed to get along with her but she was Slytherin still nonetheless and that made him distrust her. He wondered vaguely what she made of him and then realised that he shouldn’t care what she thought and that it didn’t matter. But still, it was quite evident that in this moment in time she was not happy and it seemed as if she was waiting for him to explode. Which to be honest was quite a likely scenario. And he would have exploded quite badly if he had tried to stay silent for much longer but instead he had his outburst of words and again felt guilty for saying them. But only because he didn’t want to have to be forced to converse with a Slytherin and not because his words had been mean.

He glanced across at her, a little bit wary of her reaction. Because she did have every right to tell him to go to hell. But he supposed that would be fine because then James could start an argument and arguing would be much more preferable to sitting here and stewing in tense silence. Finally she replied and his eyes narrowed at her words. ”What’s that supposed to mean?” He said back although he understood completely because the underlying malice had not been missed by him. ”Let’s cut the crap and get straight to the chase shall we?” Because James was tired of hanging around and skirting around the one thing that he knew was bugging them both. ”I’m fed up with your ambiguity. Neither of us really wants to be here. Neither of us likes the other very much. But if we are to get through this evening without going completely crazy then I propose that we at least talk to each other. I don’t care what the topic is; you can throw insults at me for all I care. I just have to hear the sound of another human being’s voice. Okay?” He was breathing a bit deeply and he looked across at her expectantly awaiting her response.

[ANDROMEDA NIOBE BLACK]

Meda couldn’t but wonder how Sirius would feel about this. She hadn’t seen him since it had had happened, she didn’t really see him all that often. They didn’t exactly run in the same circles and things between the Slytherins and Gryffindors were so tense right now she didn’t dare try to talk to him when any of his friends were around.

But Potter had probably seen him; Potter had probably talked to him. Had he told Sirius about their detention? Probably, and Sirius had had the class with them, so he would have known they’d been partners. What had James said about it? Probably that she’d been awful and snooty, she mused, flashing a glare in his direction even though she had no proof he’d actually done anything. And he was probably going to walk away from this detention with even more stories about how terrible she was. She didn’t think Sirius would believe them. He’d stuck by her this long; if he was going to give up on her then he would’ve done it already. But everyone had a breaking point, and maybe words from his friend would be enough to send him away from her for good. It’s not that she had any proof Potter would really do this, she still knew scarcely anything about him. But if she had to make a guess based on her previous knowledge, she would guess he wouldn’t have anything pleasant to say after this evening.

And perhaps that was why she didn’t want to talk. She couldn’t trust herself to be civil and she didn’t want to give him any more reason to hate her, or for her to say something to him she would later regret. But there was another reason. It was a lot easier to forget he was there and focus on the potion in silence, though she couldn’t completely do that either. She noticed this when they’d first be assigned to work on this assignment together that he could never sit still, even when he wasn’t talking she could her the restless agitation in the way he moved, in the way he breathed, and now, it was worse than ever.

But Meda had always been a quiet one, with her sister’s flamboyant personalities and her parents constant hounding; there never seemed to be anything for her to say. And when she did speak, it was always formal, forced, and to her relatives. She had never quite figured out how to talk to her peers, which was part of the reason why she didn’t have any friends. She couldn’t prove she was different from the other Slytherins in she never said anything, but that was probably for the best. She would fail them, as she was sure she was going to fail the few friends she had managed to retain.

She clenched her jaw when he questioned her comment, but said nothing. She had known it was impossible that he would not react to her statement, but she had been hoping he wouldn’t anyway. She allowed him to continue rambling, determined not to rise to his bait, to not keep the conversation going. As much as she wished to make one more comment, one much more direct and yes, insulting, she knew it was not in her best interests. Despite his insistence that an insult would be better than nothing, she knew it would only inflame the situation. But something about his last comment, the—self-absorption that came with it, was enough to set her off. Before she knew what she was doing she had stood up and smacked her hands on the table.

“Yes, and we always do exactly what Mr. Potter says. Never mind what the rest of his us need, it’s all about what he wants. He can refuse to do the assignment and embarrass me in front ofd the whole class, get a letter sent home to my parents, give me my first failing grade since hogwarts, and then show up to detention late, and tell Sirius whatever he wants about how horrible his bloody Slytheirn cousin is—.” She could feel the tears springing to her eyes. She whirled around, horrified. She couldn’t let him see her cry. Not now, not here, not when she’d said too much already. But she was failing; she could feel that she was failing as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

Quite honestly, James hadn’t expected any sort of response from her. She wasn’t exactly the most talkative person anyway so why would she bother to respond to him? Besides, they’d already made it clear to each other that they were not top of each other’s friends list. He thought that Andromeda would quite happily sit and stew in silence for the remainder of their detention. And so it came as quite a surprise to the boy when she jumped to her feet. As far as he knew, confrontation was not in her nature. The slamming of her fists on the desk caused him to jump a little in his seat, his heart beginning to pound frantically at the sudden, unexpected noise and a pale pink tinge coloured his cheeks at being caught so simply off his guard.

His expression was one of bemused surprise as he tilted his head up to look at her as she spoke. Were these words really leaving her mouth? Was he interpreting them correctly? He had to admit reluctantly that he must be. Although he had said that insults would be preferable to silence he hadn’t thought that she would actually start with them. He had meant it slightly jokingly he realised in retrospect. He blinked at her, momentarily stunned into silence. And not many people could render James Potter speechless that was for sure. He had to admit that her words had made him feel guilty. Had she really gone through all of that trouble? Just because he had not turned up to a detention? The Gryffindor just could not understand that. He skipped out of things plenty of times, had letters sent home and everything but all he received from his parents was a stern look and a couple of sharp words. He knew that the Black family was strict but considering the mischief that Sirius got up to with him, he figured they couldn’t all be that bad. Perhaps he was wrong.

Or perhaps Andromeda was being the cunning Slytherin that she was and trying to make him feel guilty. Yes, that seemed like something that someone in her house would do. Truth was, James was spoiled and used to getting his own way. He had an uncanny knack for not thinking about the consequences for himself so he was hardly going to think about the consequences for other people, especially those with green and silver lining on their robes. And he was quite sure that Hogwarts had given up on sending letters home to his parents because his behaviour never changed. But he was Head Boy now, he supposed the old headmaster had wanted to try and instil a bit of maturity and responsibility into the prankster. So far he had changed quite a lot. Except for this little situation. This was classic Prongs.

Finally his brain kicked into action and told him to respond. He narrowed his eyes replying in a similarly snappish tone to hers. ”I wasn’t saying it to be selfish! I suggested it because chatting will make the time go by quicker.” He retorted. ”Calm down alright! A fail and a letter home isn’t exactly the end of the world. I should know I’ve had it happen to me plenty...” He trailed off, voice fading into silence because he had just caught the look on Andromeda’s face and he knew that look well. It was the expression that struck fear into the boy; it meant she was close to crying and if the heaving of her shoulders was anything to go by when she turned away then he was correct in thinking that she was. ”Are you crying?” He couldn’t help it; the words fell out of his mouth in his surprise. Because this was the last thing he had expected to happen here this evening.

This was turning into a nightmare. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t exactly ignore her. Yeah she was a Slytherin but he wasn’t that harsh. She was clearly upset. But although he could be quite good with emotional girls, he was panicking. He stood up but froze, not entirely sure what he was going to do. He hesitated then slowly reached out his hand and then dropped it. Because let’s face it, she wouldn’t want him touching her anyway. Eventually, after what felt like the longest stint of silence ever, he regained the use of his vocal chords. ”I don’t tell Sirius that I hate you. He actually doesn’t like that I don’t trust you and spends hours trying to convince me that you really are his favourite cousin.” His voice was gentle, quiet and hopefully reassuring because he really didn’t want a crying Slytherin on his hands any longer.

tagged Andromeda
words 794
notes Ta-dah.

[ANDROMEDA NIOBE BLACK]

The moment her rant was over she regretted it. She wanted nothing more than to take it back and pretend like it never happened. What’s more, she had no idea how he would respond to her, nor any idea how she wanted him to respond. She was usually one to avoid contention, and she had certainly given him enough reason to be angry. But the opposite reaction, pity, or shame or whatever, that was equally undesirable. The very idea of made her shiver, made her uncomfortable. Could she use the word uncomfortable? No it was more like, displaced, like she wouldn’t be attached to her own body. She had never wanted anyone’s pity, she didn’t deserve it, and nor would she know how to handle it. But she couldn’t really imagine him pitying her. But she really didn’t know him, so how could she say what he would do.He wasn’t rude, but she could tell he thought she was overreacting, and he was probably right. He hadn’t really said anything all that terrible, so she shouldn’t have freaked out the way she did. But she had. Was it just that she had finally hit the end of her limit? That would make sense, she supposed. Except it didn’t feel right. No, it was like the words had wanted to come rushing out her mouth, and the moment she let her guard down they had. It felt like, like there was a part of her that had wanted to say that. That had been tired of keeping it all in and had needed to let it out, on someone.

But this wasn’t the someone she would have chosen, had it been a consciousness decision, not in a million years.

His last question, the one about the letter, rang in her head. Yes, she wanted to say, it could be. In her family, this was a big deal, maybe not for the reasons he was assuming, but it still was. But she couldn’t tell him that, she had already told him enough already. She needed to say silent. Then he asked her if she was crying.

No. She replied, but her quavering reply gave her lie away. She lifted her hand to face, wiping away the tears. She needed to get it back under control, to turn back around and pretend like nothing had happened. She could imagine that he would be eager to do the same. She could only imagine how awkward a crying girl, especially one that he didn’t like, must be. She took a few steadying breaths before turning back to face him. But she couldn’t look at him, not when her eyes were still so watery.
“I know, I’m sorry that I insinuated that you did, it was wrong of me to accuse you of it. I—I let my own doubts get the best of me, I beg your pardon for such a blunder.” She was rambling; in the manner she had been taught. There were rules to dealing with such situations, the problem was, and she couldn’t remember what came next.

“And it’s not like I really, I mean, It wouldn’t matter to me anyway if, if…” She took another deep breath, trying to get things under control. She finally looked up at him, hoping the moisture had receded from her eyes, at least enough that it wasn’t all that noticeable.

“You said you wanted to talk, and you’re right, it would make the time past by more quickly.” She was lying of course, but at this point it seemed much easier, safer, to go along with it. “How about…quidditch?” She didn’t know much about it, nor had she ever cared for it, but it seemed like a safe enough topic. And she was assuming that he would have a lot to say on the subject, which might keep her from having to contribute too much to the conversation. “What do you think Gryffindor’s chances are of beating Slytherin this year?” She tried to keep her voice as nonchalant as possible, so he wouldn’t take that question as a challenge. It wasn’t too hard to fake, as she had never had too much house spirit. It was hard too when she had never really felt a part of the group, but he didn’t know that.

---

Tagged: James
Words: 720
Notes: Sorry for my week+ delay, my muse abandoned me....

[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

James considered crying an unfair advantage that girls held over guys. If a girl wanted to “win” any sort of argument or discussion then all she had to do was burst into tears and James would instantly allow them to have their way. As a rule, James felt at least, guys just didn’t know how to handle girls crying. It was a very open display of emotion and although the Gryffindor knew that most purebloods weren’t supposed to let on that they had any emotions or reactions at all, crying was still something that girls were considered to be able to get away with doing. If a boy cried then they weren’t manly or strong enough; it was a display of weakness and therefore blokes, even blokes like James who considered himself more of a sensitive person (than he let on) felt out of place and uncomfortable around girls and their tears.

It didn’t help that women were a volatile creature at the best of times, let alone when they had water streaming down their face, smudging their well-executed make-up, reddening their eyes and turning them even further into emotional, more likely to snap or break down further, beings. With guys you knew where they stood. If they were angry, you could tell. If they were upset, you could tell. But tears could mean anything from anger, to sadness to laughter. The ambiguity of it all was what he could not stand.

Finally, after what felt like an age but in reality was probably only a couple of minutes, Andromeda responded and James flinched because he could hear the slight shrillness to her voice that indicated she was trying to sound normal but was not quite managing it. He looked away, embarrassed because he noticed her small movements, wiping away tears and he did not want to intrude on this moment. It felt private, even if it had been him to set it off. He also felt very conflicted because she was a Slytherin was she not? His enemy, someone who he had tried very hard to not like or feel any sympathy for over the years and yet here he was now feeling guilty for the way he had acted towards her. And try as he might, he just couldn’t push that feeling away. This, he supposed, was proof of the fact that he had a conscience and that even towards Slytherins he had morals. And again, the thought played out in his mind that Andromeda technically couldn’t be called his “enemy” she had never offended him in any way, not personally, her surname was the most offensive thing about her but she couldn’t help that just as much as Sirius couldn’t. And so he began to entertain the idea that perhaps he had been wrong…. His Gryffindor pride was fighting against it but something in his heart was saying otherwise.

”It wasn’t wrong of you to accuse me.” He admitted softly. ”I don’t exactly say the most polite things about you….” He trailed off, not thinking about his words before he spoke them was a mistake he often made but that meant he was fairly good at sweeping past them. ”Anyway, like I said, Sirius thinks I’m an idiot really and that I should lighten up on you.” He got the feeling however that Andromeda didn’t want to dwell on this topic. James couldn’t say that he blamed her. Especially if she did share some of Sirius’ views on their family then this was probably dangerous territory. Plus it was uncomfortable for the both of them. Even if James had apologised and they had smoothed things over, they weren’t going to become chums instantly and James certainly wasn’t going to offer her a shoulder to cry on and listen to her worries and insecurities about her family life. And so he was thankful when Andromeda moved the conversation on.

He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes though. Yes, he could talk quidditch until the cows came home but he was fairly certain that the Slytherin beside him didn’t care the slightest about the question she had asked. ”I’m sure you don’t want to listen to me talk quidditch.” James stated, but then he realised that he was supposed to be helping her move swiftly on from the crying scene a few moments ago and he started talking anyway. ”I think our chances are very good at beating everyone, not just Slytherin. I have to say, it’ll be very satisfying to knock those jumped-up supremacists off of their high horses when we do thrash them. The purebloods beaten by a team with more muggleborns on it than anyone else? We’ll see how they like that.” He spoke bitterly, not caring if she was offended by his words. ”And you can go and tell your housemates that I said that if you like. I’m past caring about them beating me up now. Blood traitor and proud.” He had to admit, there was something liberating about saying all of this to Andromeda, even if she was the tamest person to have ever been sorted into Slytherin, she was still one of them whether she liked it or not.

tagged Andromeda
words 794
notes no worries, I know what that's like!

[ANDROMEDA NIOBE BLACK]

Andromeda couldn’t recall the last time she had cried in public. Though she was fairly certain it was when she was eight and Bellatrix had broken her favorite porcelain doll. It had been during the middle of one of those parties her parents like to throw, when all her relatives and any other pureblood family she didn’t happen to be related to showed up. She’d grabbed it from Andromeda’s shelf and run with it downstairs into the middle of a large group and then smashed it on the floor. All because Andromeda said it wouldn’t be funny to lightt the local muggle children's hair on fire.
Over time Andromeda had learned not to cry. Crying made you look weak, and with her soft face and small build she looked weak enough already. She could only imagine what it made James think of her. That she was insecure and hysterical, most likely. It was embarrassing too. Anger, coldness, those are things people sometimes forget. But this, no, this would stick. He would always think of her this way. The weeping girl who cracked under just a little bit of pressure.

She listened to his response carefully, trying to decide what would be the best way to respond. should she continue to insist that it was her fault, or would it be better to go along with him in order to conclude the conversation?

“Alright, well, thank you, but I think I shall still refrain from such unfounded accusations in the future.” She smiled weakly, “It would simplify our conversation don’t you think?” She wasn’t exactly sure what direction their conversation would take form this point on. It had been all over the place in the last couple of minutes. Perhaps they had moved beyond the angry, silent portion of their conversation, but she still thought it would impossible for them to become friendly with one another. Even with his insistence at having some sort of conversation. In fact, it would be better for both of them if they didn’t continue any further down that path. Sirius and James were some of the boldest supporters of those with lesser blood statuses, and if people could see them being too friendly with a Slytherin... No, it wouldn't be good, and so she resolved to keep up the cool, distant air that had originally been between them, despite their shows of their softer, gentler sides.

Andromeda listened to his description of quidditch with a polite but disconnected interest. He was right, she really didn’t care. She enjoyed quidditch sure, but she didn’t care for the house rivalry that went along with it. She did feel a little uncomfortable by his bold speech, but she was also slightly impressed by it. Sometimes she wrote him off as a self-centered bigot. She had certainly implied as much earlie. She could see how much passion he had for beating them, and not because of his pride but because it was part of his the larger goal he ahd to help muggleborns. But she couldn’t let him know she was thinking this. So she pursued her lips and turned her head away for a moment, her shoulders tightening. She turned back, slightly startled, when he said the word you. For a moment it seemed as though he were accusing her of something, but as she thought through what he had told her she realized that he was not. And there wasn’t any particular malice towards her, just the lingering malice that had come from his fiery speech earlier.

She chuckled darkly, though there was no real humor behind it. “Oh, that is one conversation I don’t intend to have. Besides, It’s not like they’d listen to me. My opinion isn’t exactly the most sought after among those ‘pureblood supremacists.’ They only tolerated me because they were terrified of Bellatrix, and now that she’s gone…” She trailed off, once again realizing that she had said too much. “I mean, perhaps you should tell them yourself, I doubt that would be a problem for you.” She didn’t mean that as a jab, just a general observation. She hoped he wouldn’t revert back to her sister. Andromeda hated talking about her.