Strings of Fate

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Saturday, July 11, 2009

——✧——

              Growing up, James Potter had always struggled with putting himself first. He was always putting others needs and wants above his own. A people pleaser, as Marlene had called him near the start of fourth year; right before telling him to be selfish for once after he'd told her about her. 

At first he'd been upset because she's said it as if it was a problem. He hadn't thought it was but the weeks after, he'd realized she was right. It was that conversation that led him to this moment; packing everything he owned into a single bag that had an extension charm so that he could run away with his star.

Running away was something that had never really crossed James' mind, not when there was a war going on; a war he had even planned on fighting in but when he'd read the letter from her, the only thing he could think of was leaving. As he was about to put a framed moving photo of him and his parents into the bag, his eyes caught their smiling faces and he paused. 

He took a slow breath in as he gently set the photo down before looking through his school trunk and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill. He wrote a long letter, explaining why he's leaving and who he's leaving with. In the letter he tells them not to look for him and that he'll send them a letter once he's settled and safe. 

Setting the quill aside, he folds the letter and leaves it on his bedside table. He cast a feather light charm on the bag before throwing it over his shoulder and grabbed the letter from his star. Standing in the doorway of the now barren bedroom, James bit his lip as some of his favorite childhood memories flooded his mind; memories with his parents, with Sirius, with Marlene and Peter.. 

He was going to miss everyone but he couldn't imagine a future without her. She was the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He's known it since the moment their eyes met on the train at the start of his 2nd year. He's known it since he first realized exactly what it was he was feeling everytime they talked in 3rd year. And he's known it since the moment he first kissed her in the astronomy tower a day after yule break in 4th year. 

Taking a deep breath, James shut the door and quietly crept through the home. He did his best not to wake anyone as he slipped down the stairs and towards the front door. He took one final look around his childhood home before slipping out into the night. As he stepped out the front gate, he apparated away.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

"What if he doesn't come?" Regulus questioned quietly, glancing at her watch. Dorcas scoffed, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat as she spoke, "Then he's fucking stupid." Evan and Emma both voiced their agreements as Pandora pulled Regulus into a comforting hug. "If he doesn't show in the next fifteen minutes, we'll have to leave without him.."

"Quit thinking negatively. He's entirely gone for you, I don't believe there's a world where he wouldn't show," Pandora reassured softly, gently running her fingers through the older girl's hair.  The five had been there for nearly an hour and a half and Regulus had been panicking almost the entire time.

"I-" Pandora immediately shook her head, unwilling to let her sister speak. "He'll show," she spoke firmly. As Regulus opened her mouth to retort, her voice caught in her throat as her eyes locked onto the figure approaching from behind. Before any of the other four could question what was wrong, she broke free of Pandora's hug and broke out into a sprint.

James puffed out a laugh as he caught her in his arms. He kissed her eagerly, ignoring the cheers from four behind them. "Missed you so much," he murmured softly, pulling away from the kiss and setting her down on the ground. He frowned as a tear slid down her cheek. "Hey, mi vida, what's wrong?"

"I didn't think you'd actually come. I thought you'd.. I thought you'd choose to stay," Regulus whispered and James' heart broke just a little. "Hey, no, baby. Never. You're my future. My life. If you aren't staying, neither am I," he spoke firmly, pressing a long kiss to her forehead. "But your parents-"

"Will understand when they read the letter I left for them. Sirius too, with time," when she still didn't look convinced he continued, "I love my parents. I really do but Regulus, I mean it when I say I refuse to live without you. If I had decided to stay, I would've regretted it every day for the rest of my life." Regulus blushed, looking down to the ground with a soft smile.

The moment was ruined as Evan playfully gagged loudly, two loud smacks following immediately afterwards. Regulus rolled her eyes as she turned around to see Evan rubbing the back of his head, Dorcas and Pandora with proud smirks while Emma cackled. James tilted his head in confusion, eyeing the four bags at their feet. "You're all coming too?" 

"What, Potter? You thought you were the only one who refused to let her leave without you?" Dorcas scoffed, standing up and grabbing her bag. "She's our sister, blood or not. And like we told her, she's stuck with us. If she runs, so do we." The other three nodded in unison, picking their own bags. 

"Okay.. well, where are we going?" James questioned, looking down at his girlfriend. "I.. actually don't know. I didn't really have anywhere in mind," Regulus spoke, leaning into his side with a frown. The decision to run had been a rushed decision after she'd overheard her parents talking about trying to arrange a marriage between her and a man twenty years her senior. 

"I might have somewhere," Dorcas spoke up, the other five immediately turning to her in curiosity. "I have family in Mystic Falls. It's a town in Virginia. We normally visit every summer but with the war and everything, my parents decided to skip this year. We can stay in the house my parents own there."

"Would they be okay with it?" Emma asked cautiously, Dorcas nodding as she stated, "I wasn't as quiet as I'd hoped while I was leaving and accidentally woke them up. After explaining what was going on, they offered for us to move in." 

"So, Mystic Falls then?" Pandora chirped, the six of them sharing hopeful looks. "Mystic Falls," Regulus stated, the other four voicing their own agreements. 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧