17: James Potter - Mistletoe

Note: This is a Christmas special!

House: Gryffindor

 James Potter was an annoying flirt who loved trying to get my attention. He'd been trying for the past year to get me to go on a date with him, and credit where credits due he was persistent. He'd always compliment me at any chance he would get, he'd always try to partner up with me in class and he'd always ask to study with me whenever he wasn't pulling pranks with the Marauders. He'd even ask me to go on trips to Hogsmeade with him which I often accepted, as I did enjoy spending time with him despite his constant flirting.

Now that it was getting closer to Christmas, he seemed to have a new trick up his sleeve. He'd tried it multiple times but had never managed to execute it properly. His trick was that he seemed to always carry around a piece of mistletoe, and whenever I was nearby or entering the room he'd try to quickly approach me and hold it above us, but I always managed to step out of the way just in time, or he was too far away for me to be classed as underneath it.

I folded my arms each time he tried this cheap trick, knowing that I should've seen it coming. I wasn't sure whether he had actual feelings for me or whether he was just messing around, wanting a girls attention. I resisted him, despite the fact he was attractive, funny, playful...

"(y/n)!" James' voice called out to me. I sighed as I was halfway through an essay and keen to finish it before the night was finished.

"What?" I huffed as he approached me. "I swear to God Potter, if you have a piece of mistletoe behind your back I'm going to go mad."

He laughed awkwardly and shook his head, but didn't reveal what was hidden behind his back meaning I had hit the nail on the head. "'Course I don't," he scoffed, me rolling my eyes. "What're you doing?" He asked, sitting beside me. I was a little shocked he was actually taking an interest in school work, but still I told him about the subject of my essay for Transfiguration. He seemed genuinely interested and sat beside me as I worked, and it was moments like this that I actually appreciated. He was a nice person, someone who I realised I loved spending time with.

I was beginning to suspect that I may have grown a small crush on the boy. I had tried to hide my feelings but it reached the point where as soon as I realised I felt this way, it was too late. I was too far gone, my feelings for him becoming stronger than I would've liked. I tried to hide my feelings for him, still feeling a little cautious and wondering whether he just wanted attention or whether he truly felt that way about me. After all, I'd never expect someone to be so open about their feelings for someone if they were true, but then again, what would he get by lying?

When we were on our own together it felt fun, like when we went on trips to Hogsmeade just the two of us. We'd play about in Zonko's, he'd buy me sweets from Honeydukes and we'd have a drink in the Three Broomsticks. He'd always act so gentlemanly, but then in the evenings in the common room or in the Great Hall at dinner, he always seemed to have some mistletoe in his back pocket.

"(y/n)!" He'd cry out as he approached me at the Gryffindor table laid with various foods. "What?" I let out a sigh as he stood beside me with a beam on his face, but I already knew what he was about to do, only now I realised I had no escape. I saw him pull the plant from his back pocket but as he raised it in the air, Sirius ran up behind him and jumped on his back, almost tackling him to the floor. He at least made James stumble forward, him also dropping the mistletoe to the floor and I couldn't help but laugh at his failed attempt.

"Prongs! Don't run so far ahead!" Sirius shouted before he even noticed me. Behind Sirius I spotted the other Marauders approaching, both of whom were chuckling slightly at the scene we had all just witnessed.

"Pads for god's sake, get off of me," James said, shrugging his best friend from his back.

"It was a nice try James," I laughed and he pouted, then sighing dramatically.

"I'll get you at some point, (l/n)!" He said loudly, then taking a seat further down the table with his three friends. Without realising I watched him go, smiling to myself as he thankfully didn't spot me looking his way.

"(y/n)?" Lily hissed, catching my attention.

"What?"

"You like him, don't you?" She asked making my cheeks heat up.

"What?! No, of course I don't!" I knew I was in denial. The girls around me looked at me with sarcastic looks, me then hiding my face in my hands.

"Why don't you just tell him? I mean, he so obviously likes you," Marlene said and I sighed.

"I don't know, I'm just... not good at admitting to these things," I said and the the girls rolled their eyes. "What?"

"You could have him," Lily enforced and I sighed, looking down the table to where he sat.

"I don't know Lils..." I mumbled.

"You're usually so confident! Why're you doubting yourself now?" Marlene asked.

"I told you, I'm not good with this kind of thing!"

All the way to first lesson the girls pressured me into telling James my true feelings for him. I kept on denying it all morning, and thankfully by the time the afternoon came the girls had laid off a little but it was still playing in my mind. 'Do I really have feelings for him? Should I confess to him?' I kept on thinking all day, it unable to leave my mind.

- Timeskip -

It was Gryffindors second match of the season, and they were playing Hufflepuff. The Gryffindor team did a lap of the stadium with James in the lead given the fact he was captain, him even winking at me as he zoomed passed. I rolled my eyes whilst trying to pretend not to be flustered, Lily and Marlene standing either side of me, poking and teasing me.

The match begun when the quaffle was thrown into the air, James immediately grabbing it and flying his way to the Hufflepuffs goal posts. The Gryffindor side was cheering loudly, including me, as he passed it to his teammate, them then throwing it to the goalposts but the Hufflepuff keeper managed to catch it and throw it back to her team.

I watch intently as the match played on, James managing to score many points for Gryffindor however it wasn't enough. Hufflepuff kept a constant lead but I refused to stop cheering, particularly for James. I saw him shouting tactics towards the other chasers and beaters, when suddenly our seeker made a dramatic dive.

The Hufflepuff seeker noticed and dived after him, them locked in an intense race. Whilst they zoomed around the pitch the match carried on, James trying desperately to score for Gryffindor but Hufflepuff seemed to have the constant edge.

Half an hour later and Hufflepuff had a one-hundred and ten point lead. The two seekers were still racing after the snitch when Hufflepuffs crashed into our seeker purposefully, knocking him to the ground. This gave the Hufflepuff seeker all he needed to reach out and catch the snitch, which is exactly what he did thereby ending the match.

The Hufflepuffs cheered at their victory whilst the Gryffindors all looked glum. My eyes immediately went to James who landed on the pitch with his head down. We ran down to the pitch, seeing an angry Sirius throw his bat to the ground and the rest of the team patting each other's back. "Where's James?" I questioned Sirius, the two of us glancing around the crowd that was forming but not seeing him.

"Oh, he's there," he nodded his head towards the tunnel at the edge of the pitch, me instinctively running towards it.

I pulled open the flaps of the Gryffindor tent and saw James sat on the bench in the middle with his head in his heads. "Great game," I praised him, standing in front of him.

"Yeah," he said sadly.

"It really was, James," I tried to assure him but we were interrupted by the rested of the team coming in. "Sorry, I'll go. I'll see you later," I said directly to James who nodded. I almost bumped straight into Marlene and Lily as I left the tent, both of them with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"Nothing," they both said in a teasing tone and I huffed, knowing what was going through their minds but before they could say anything I was walking back to the Gryffindor common room, them running after me.

All the way there I thought about James and hoped he was okay. He was usually okay when it came to loosing, not happy but not depressed unlike now when the gap between winning and loosing was so big. Tonight was the big Christmas party in the Gryffindor tower however, so I hoped that that'd at least cheer him up a little.

When the girls and I got back to the common room we immediately began setting up for the party. People had gotten food from the kitchens and they'd handmade decoration to hang up around the room. There was a large tree in the corner being decorated by several third years, and tinsel being hung from the ceiling by the sixth years. Despite the loss at the quidditch match everyone seemed in high spirits, and I knew it was thanks to this Christmas party.

As I was putting up the decorations with the others, I hoped that all of this would be enough to cheer James up. More and more people piled into the room, someone eventually starting the music which triggered the beginning of the party. The quidditch team came into the common room moments later and I spotted James who still looked irritated. The rest of them seemed quite chipper, especially after seeing the party, the food and the decorations.

From afar I watched James, wanting to make sure he was okay but never finding the appropriate time to go over to him. I soon got distracted by the others, the lot of us laughing and gossiping as though the match earlier that day never even took place. I did notice however that the Marauders all occupied the sofa by the fire, asides from one. "Hey guys... where's James?" I asked as I approached them.

"Aw, are you worried about him?" Sirius asked in a teasing tone, making my cheeks heat up.

"No! Of course not!" I hmphed, turning and stomping away. I was still concerned about James however, so weaved through the crowd enjoying themselves and dancing to the music until I finally spotted him sat on the wooden bench by the portrait hole. He was on his own, his head in his hands and I knew straight away that he was still irritated by the result of the match. I sighed and approached him. "Hey," I said as I flicked his head. He glanced up at me, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Hey," he returned my greeting.

"Can I sit?" I asked, gesturing the seat beside him and he nodded, moving up a little. "What's got you so glum? We're supposed to be celebrating Christmas."

"It's nothing," he lied and I sighed.

"It's not nothing. I know you James, I know it's the match," I said and he buried his head back in his hands.

"It's the last tournament of my time here, but I played terribly! It was so embarrassing... I mean, we're the best team at this school!"

"James, you're not going to win every match," I said and he glared at me. "Listen to me, you did not play terribly. You were amazing out there, you always are. Anyway, why do you feel the need to constantly shoulder the blame? It's a team sport. Just because you're the captain doesn't mean it's all down to you. Plus just because you lost this match doesn't mean you can't win the tournament, there's still a lot more matches to go," I comforted him to the best of my ability. He looked up at me, a small smile forming on his face.

"Thanks (y/n)," he whispered with sincerity. I tried hard to control my rapidly beating heart as he handsomely smiled, leaning back against the wall and laughing a little. "You're right... one loss isn't the end of the world. We're still gonna win this tournament, I'm sure of it-," he suddenly stopped talking, his eyes wide as his gaze was locked on something above us.

"James? Are you okay?" I asked, shaking his arm before looking up myself to see what had caught his attention. My eyes widened as I saw what was growing above us, my heart rate increasing. It was mistletoe.

"E-er..." he coughed, glancing away from me but I did catch a red hue appearing on his cheeks. His behaviour seemed different to how it usually was when he flirted with me in public: he seemed a lot more nervous which caught my attention, and made me giggle a little. I found myself cupping his cheek which seemed to catch him off-guard slightly, particularly when I leant in towards him.

Gently I pressed my lips against his, sparks igniting inside of me. His were warm and inviting, and I wondered how I had gone this long without kissing them. He was immediately kissing me back, wrapping his arms around me lovingly. It felt perfect, it wasn't too rough and needy nor was it sexualised, which made it feel even better.

When I pulled away I chuckled a little, seeing his shocked but satisfied expression. "That was... er..." he seemed lost for work as he let out a breathy laugh.

"Good?" I suggested and he smiled.

"Very," he said, looking deep into my eyes. He quickly cupped my cheeks again and pulled me into another kiss, it somehow feeling better than the first. I smiled against his lips, feeling hooked and not wanting to leave his hold. I didn't know how I had gone so long without realising just how much I wanted him, but right now I felt so loved and appreciated. "(y/n)," he breathed when he pulled away, his hands still rested on my hips. "That wasn't... a one time thing, was it?"

"Of course not," I whispered and his eyes looked into mine, apparently shocked. "I kinda like you," I added in a teasing tone, smirking a little.

"You do?" He seemed shocked.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't of kissed you if I didn't," I said simply.

"Does that mean you'll be my girlfriend?" He asked like an eager puppy, making him even cuter.

"Yes James, it does," I whispered, and the sadness that was inside him moments ago seemed to of vanished, replaced with bright smiles which warmed my heart. He pulled me up and into a hug, kissing the side of my head lovingly.

"Prongs? You feeling better- whoa, I'm sure you are," Sirius' voice interrupted the pair of us, causing James to pull away from me but he did keep his arm wrapped around my waist.

"Yes Padfoot, I'm fine," James said, looking down at me. I nudged my head against his chest, ideally wanting a bit of privacy for James and I.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on interrupting you for long," he said, patting James' shoulder. "Well done mate. see you later," it seemed as though Sirius had read my mind as he left the two of us alone. I took ahold of my new boyfriends hand, feeling satisfied that I could call him that.

"Why don't we take a walk around Hogwarts?" I suggested and he smirked mischievously.

"Sure... lead the way."