The life of the party, you're showing off again
He shouldn't have come.
He knew he shouldn't, with a mountain of papers piled up on his apartment desk, rivaling Mount Everest, waiting for him. But it was the first night of the second semester in his fourth year, so it was kind of like the last hurrah before he fully drowned in his graduate requirements and workload.
And he really couldn't resist when his friend pulled a freaking blackmail on him, threatening not to be his partner for their thesis. Heavens knows he needs his brain.
So, yeah. James Potter shouldn't have come, but here he is now. No point crying over spilled milk, right?
As they entered the pub, the lively chatter of the patrons flowed through his eardrums, pulling him back to the present. The place was vibrant, with conversation and laughter hanging in the air. The smell of beer and strangely home-cooked meals lingered as they walked further in.
He followed his friends' tall frames through the multiple tables, a few of which were occupied by his department. After all, this was a department drinking party to kick off, as they put it, "the most hellish semester of their lives." According to Remus, they chose the venue to be a pub instead of a bar because that way, they wouldn't have to deal with a blazing headache from a hangover, as nobody wanted to start their last semester in a post-drunken stupor. At least in a pub, there's still alcohol, but sadly, no dance floor, party music, or wild energy.
And if James had a say in it, that was probably the best decision they could have made. They also chose a great place.
They walked a couple more steps until they stopped at a table close to the bar, but also with a full view of the establishment.
"Hey! There he is!" a blonde woman with a wolf cut exclaimed as they neared the table full of familiar faces, making the whole table turn their heads toward them.
"Manage to drag him, huh, Remus?" a beautiful brown-skinned girl playfully asked.
"Well, you know me, I’m hard to resist," replied Remus with a small smirk that coincidentally made him much more attractive and much harder to resist.
"Oh, come on, we all know that’s not why he came." Laughter erupted from the group as Remus and James sat down on the available seats.
"Yeah, laugh all you want. I call it a reasonable investment." James sat down on the very edge of the table, making him face-to-face with a beautiful red-haired girl.
"And reasonable it is," said the girl across from him as she handed him a bottle of what he thought was alcohol. "Thanks, Lils." A small smile came to his face as he reached for the cup.
You see, Lily is a very beautiful woman. Her fiery red hair makes her stand out in the crowd and turns heads as she walks. Her green eyes are as bright as the leaves in the morning dew. Not to mention that she is extremely hardworking and smart, as well as kind and sweet. She is a friend to all, and a very good friend at that. Even to him. She is basically the dream girl of every sane man in the world.
Not James, though.
James prefers someone with hair as dark as the night sky, with a luminous glow that could rival the moonshine. Eyes like stars that would sharpen when in focus, and a mind as sharp as a knife. Someone who blends into the crowd and observes like a curious cat. A person hard to befriend but the most loyal one you could ever have. James wants someone who is the opposite of sweet.
James has a very clear picture of his dream.
It’s amazing how vivid it is, considering it’s been years since he last saw him. On that hot, sunny afternoon in high school.
He shook his head to shake away the thought on his mind, focusing back on the reality and the conversation going on with his friends. After listening for a while, he had a rough draft of what they were talking about: the transfer student in the Music and Art Department.
He’d heard about them. Of course, he had. They were basically the talk of the campus for the last week, and seriously, he understood it. Considering it is highly unusual and unreasonable for a student to transfer in the last semester of college. That is extremely hard to do and a lengthy process. You have to adjust to the new environment, familiarize yourself with a new system, introduce yourself to your professors, and make new friends. It makes you wonder why they don’t just stick around for a few more months at their old school, considering they are about to graduate.
Well, considering how they managed to do it, he had to say they were either very bright students or very wealthy. Which, according to the rumors and gossip, they were both. According to the rumor mill, they had to transfer because their parents got relocated to a new location for work and were very reluctant to separate from their children, hence them coming with their parents.
James could never do it. He is an attached person, after all. He’s the kind of person who befriends people on the very first day, and they become his group of friends until the very end. The rest are just casual friends or acquaintances.
And to leave everything just because his parents relocated? Nah, he couldn’t do it. He would rather rent an apartment or dorm and have occasional visits with his parents.
He would miss them, but they would always be there, unlike his friends, whom he may not know if they will still see each other after college. You get it.
"But you’ve got to admit, though, he’s hot," Mary said, winking while sporting a drink.
"Woah, is this true, Mary MacDonald, finding a man hot?" James asked jokingly, earning a few laughs from his peers, and Mary just gave him a smirk and shrugged her shoulders. He chuckled at that, fully amused by her antics.
"Well, I would say that he is more of a beauty than a handsome fella," Lily retorted, which earned a nod from Marlene and Mary. "Hear, hear!"
That made James curious about this person. For the toughest and hardest-core girls he knew to compliment a guy was, in his books, a hard feat.
"Well, I wouldn’t know. Haven’t really seen him," Peter said as he looked at them with a shrug of his shoulders. James nodded at that.
As updated as he was with the current gossip, he hadn’t really seen the guy. To be honest, he had been caught up with his first-semester activities that he didn’t do during the break, so he had no choice but to cram these last few days.
"Well, you’re lucky then," Mary chirped, and he raised an eyebrow at her excitement level. "I heard that he’s coming here."
Well, that was news. As far as James heard, the transfer student was really aloof and kind of kept to himself. He was never seen hanging out with anyone, and those who attempted to talk or befriend him were turned down immediately. He never really went to the department parties—well, they had only had one before this part, as they had only just come back from break—but you know. So, for that student to come to this party and be present is really luck.
"Really? Well, that’s lucky, I guess. Finally being able to put a face to the rumor."
"And what a gorgeous face it is," added Mary, making the whole table erupt in laughter. After that, they talked about different things, from how they were doing to their break assignments.
He was relieved to know that he wasn’t the only one still buried in them.
As the conversation progressed, James became more relaxed. He was glad he came. He knew he shouldn’t, but he really needed a break from all those letters and books.
The door to the pub opened, and a new batch of students walked in. Most of them he knew, as they were in the same department.
"Oh, there’s Barty and the others. I was waiting for him, as he’s my new partner for our thesis," Marlene said, as the whole table turned to the door to see the said man walk in with the rest of their department mates.
"You’re in luck then. Barty’s kind of a genius under all that chaos."
"Yeah, you’re right. You know, one time—"
James didn’t really hear the rest of the conversation as he solely focused on the direction of the entrance of the pub.
The surrounding sound dimmed in his ears, the world slowed down, and his eyes focused on the direction.
Because, there, standing behind Barty Crouch Jr., was his dream.
Regulus fucking Black.