Part 1
It’s now Thursday night the following week and James and I are meeting up again to work on our potion.
Anxious to begin, I arrive in the bathroom early to check on our progress.
As I wait for the potion I think back fondly on this past week and a half. I hate to admit it, but ever since Potter and I started to work on this project together, I’ve felt much happier. The two of us could not be more opposite in personality. Yet, we get along incredibly well.
“Couldn’t even wait for me before you started?” I hear from the entrance to the bathroom.
I look up from my place on the tile floor and blush slightly, “sorry, I’m just so worried about getting this next step right. It’s pretty important.”
James walks over and places his bag on the ground as he sits down next to me. He grabs the stirring stick out of my hand as he says, “don’t worry Y/n, we’ll be just fine. You’re brilliant, I’m brilliant, there’s no way it could go wrong.”
“Full of ourselves aren’t we?” I mumble.
“I prefer to think of it as confident” he says proudly.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Potter.”
“My, my Y/n. I never thought you could be so cruel.”
“I prefer to think of it as honest.” I retort.
I look up at him as he tries to suppress a smirk. Once we make eye contact he lets out a low laugh, making me laugh too.
Comfortable silence settles over us for a moment as I check the next step in the potions book.
“You should laugh more,” he suddenly declares.
I snap my head up and look at him, “what?”
“Your laugh, it’s really nice.”
“Uh, thanks” I say awkwardly.
I tuck my hair behind my ear and study the pages again.
“Right, so, it looks like we need to…Potter?”
Instead of focusing on our work in front of us, he’s still staring at me.
I wave my hand in front of his face, “earth to Potter…”
He finally jumps back to reality, “Sorry, you were saying?”
“I was just about to say that now we need to stir the potion clockwise 3 times before adding the next ingredient.”
He nods and, still holding the stirring stick, begins to stir the potion slowly 3 times.
We spend the next half hour working diligently but quietly. We reach the final step in the process and then begin to pack up our stuff.
“Hey, y/n?” James calls out.
“Yeah?”
“You’re coming to the Gryffindor party tomorrow night at 9, right?”
I laugh slightly before realizing that he’s serious.
I shift my books in my arms, “Uhm, probably not. I’m not a big party person. And anyways, I don’t think I’d know very many people.”
“Well that’s solved now. You know me.” He explains.
I quirk an eyebrow at him, “Even so, I still don’t like parties. They’re too loud, and sweaty, and there’s just a bunch of drunk, horny teenagers dancing all over each other.”
He laughs at my exclamation, “Okay, you’ve got me there. But I promise, it really can be fun. Give me a chance to prove it to you and, if you still don’t like parties after tomorrow, I swear to never make you go to another one.”
I raise my hands in surrender, “fine, fine. I’ll go, I’ll go.”
“Excellent.”
*****
The next evening I head up to Gryffindor tower dressed in a tight, blue, long sleeve shirt and black bell bottoms. As I approach their portrait hole I wipe my hands nervously on my pants.
“Uhm, I’m here for the party? I wasn’t given a password or anything.” I say awkwardly to the lady in the portrait.
“No, of course you weren’t” she grumbles before swinging open.
As the door shuts behind me I hear her mumble something about stupid kids. The interaction is quickly forgotten, however, as I’m taken aback by the sight of the Gryffindor common room. I have no doubt I’m in the right place, as the entire room is covered in red and gold, from the plush couches, to the carpets, and even the tapestries. There is loud music playing and people dancing in the middle of the room. On the outskirts I see many others drinking, laughing, and talking. I realize I know more people than I thought I would. Yet, the one I actually care to see is nowhere in sight. Luckily, as I scan the room again, I spot a girl with a familiar mane of fiery red hair. Although Lily and I aren’t best friends, we’ve spent enough time together in and out of class that I feel confident enough to go over and say hello.
“Lily, hey” I say, approaching her.
“Y/n!” She exclaims, somewhat surprised, “What are you doing here? Not that I’m not glad, of course, but I didn’t pin you for the party type.”
She pats the spot next to her, inviting me to sit.
“You would be correct,” I tell her, “But Potter basically begged me to come. So I finally agreed.”
“Potter?” she asks with disbelief, “As in, the James Potter? I didn’t know you two were friends.”
I shrug my shoulders, “I guess we aren’t, technically. But we’ve had to spend a lot of time together because of our potions project. Truthfully, I’m just as surprised as you that he asked. I figured he would’ve been sick of me by now.”
Lily gives me a nudge, “Hey, you don’t give yourself enough credit. I, for one, could never get sick of you. You’re lovely. Potter seems to think the same.”
Trying to ignore the slight heat in my cheeks I ask, “Speaking of Potter, have you seen him around? I’m only at this bloody party because he promised he would make it a good time. And because his begging was becoming embarrassing.”
Lily laughs loudly, “No, I haven’t seen him in like half an hour. Though I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.”
“In the meantime,” she says, reaching behind the couch, “sit here with me and drink one of these.”
In Lily’s hand is a bottle of firewhiskey. I grab it from her, enjoying the way the cool bottle feels against my hot skin. I pop the lid and take a small swig. The alcohol burns as it slides down my throat.
“Bugger, this is awful” I cough out, “why do you drink this shit?”
She laughs and pats me on the back, “It’s not so bad once you get used to it. Especially when you start to get drunk.”
I clink my bottle with hers, “Touché.”
I sit and talk with Lily for a while, sipping slowly from my firewhiskey. I have to admit, I sort of enjoy the sensation that begins to come over my body the more I drink. The tenseness in my muscles loosen and I feel calm, even in a room full of people.
I like it even more when, a few moments later I hear someone whisper in my ear, “I see you actually came.”
I turn to look at James Potter smirking down at me.
“And I see you decided to actually show up to your own party.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge, Y/l/n. I was only late because I was getting more alcohol for said party. Alcohol that you seem to be enjoying.”
I look down at my empty bottle of fire whiskey, “I wouldn’t say I enjoy the drink. It tastes pretty awful. But I do enjoy the side effects.”
Potter feigns shock, “Y/n, are you drunk? I thought you said you hated parties because of all the drunk teenagers.”
“If one drink constitutes being drunk, I pity poor Lily who's already had three.”
A part of me expects the boy in front of me to react more viscerally to Lily being intoxicated and perhaps even worry incessantly over her. Instead, his gaze remains fixed on me as he says, “Well then we better catch up to her.”
He grabs two more drinks from the cooler behind the couch and hands one to me before hopping over the back and plopping himself down next to me.
After taking a swig from my new bottle of fire whiskey I point it towards him, “So, Potter, you promised you would make this party the best night of my life, yet all I’ve done is drink and sit on a couch. You’re not impressing me so far.”
“I think your recollection of my promise last night varies from mine. I said I’d make sure you’d have fun at the party. Not that it would be the best night of your life.”
“Maybe I just have experienced so many thrilling adventures that this party has to be the best night of my life in order for it to be fun.”
“I think your definition of a thrilling adventure is checking out two books from the library instead of one.”
I smack him and mumble “dick.”
He laughs then stands up from the couch, “come on, let’s go dance.”
My eyes widen in terror, “no way I’m dancing.”
“But you said you wanted to have fun.”
“Dancing is not fun.”
“It is with me.”
I roll my eyes, “fine. But I need a little liquid courage first.”
I pick my drink up and guzzle down the rest, ignoring the way my insides burn.
Potter looks at me impressed then grabs my hand and pulls me towards the dance floor.
At first, I’m hesitant to dance. Potter jumps around like a mad man while I just sway lightly. I can’t help but laugh at how terrible of a dancer he is.
“What’s so funny?” He asks.
“Never mind,” I tell him.
He smiles and grabs my hands, swinging them back and forth. Before long I begin to let go of caring what others may be thinking. It’s so freeing.
A few songs later, when I don’t think things can get any better, all of a sudden “Dancing Queen” by ABBA starts playing. Simultaneously all the girls scream in excitement while the boys groan.
“This is one of my favorite songs,” I shout at James while jumping excitedly.
Suddenly, Lily runs up to me and grabs my hands. She pulls me towards all of her friends as we all sing along, “you are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only 17!!”
*****
James’ POV:
When “Dancing Queen” comes on me and every other guy groans. Yet, my annoyance quickly fades as Y/n’s face lights up.
She jumps up and down, “this is one of my favorite songs!”
I can’t help but stare, noticing how pretty she looks. Between happiness, alcohol, and dancing, her face is cheery and flushed. She is suddenly whisked away by Evans to dance with Marlene, Mary and Dorcas. I move off the dance floor, preferring to watch as she sings loudly.
“Could you make your feelings for Evans any more obvious?” Someone says to me.
Shaken out of my stupor I turn to see Sirius next to me, “huh?”
“Whenever Evans is around you get this dopey, lovesick look on your face.”
“Oh, right, Evans.”
To be honest, I was too busy staring at Y/n to even remember that Lily was there.
Weird. I only ever had eyes for Lily yet, Y/n, a girl I’ve only really known for two weeks, has completely taken my attention. Did that mean-
“Mate, you alright? She seems to have left you even more speechless than usual.” Sirius asks.
“Uhm, yeah totally fine.” I lied.
I’m not really fine. Not when my whole world has come crashing down; I’ve loved Lily for years. But now?