Emily
James was sure that he was going to punch Sirius in the face one day. He loves Sirius, he really does. He’s been like his brother since the first day they met - okay maybe after a couple days, but dates don't matter - they’d always been attached at the hip in a way they weren’t with their other friends. One might say that they were platonic soulmates. But the constant nagging about “Come on mate, it's been years since you and Lily broke up, you’ve got to put yourself out there.” was really getting old. Who was he to talk when he couldn’t get his head out of his arse and ask Remus on a bloody date!
James closed the door to the art shop Sirius worked at and stepped into the sharp breeze. He tightened his scarf and started his walk home. He decided to take a left instead of a right, choosing the longer route on the edge of the woods with fewer houses. His mind wandered but always came back to Sirius’ words, it was like throwing a stick for a dog. Sirius was right, it had been years since they broke up but that wasn’t why James didn’t really go back to dating. James and Lily started dating when they were 16, but James had fancied Lily since he was 12. Yes, he was heartbroken when Lily left but that’s not her fault, she wasn’t happy and now that James can think about it without crying, he wasn’t truly happy either. All James ever wanted for Lily was for her to be happy. It sucked that James couldn’t do that, but they have both realised that they are better off as friends, without the pressure of young love. Because while they had wanted to believe that they were, you can’t force love, and in the end they were hurting each other more than they were loving each other.
James’ thoughts were interrupted by something rubbing against his leg. He looked down to see a small grey cat, with a triangle of white on their chest and a pink collar.
“Oh, hello there” James knelt and held out his hand. The cat moved closer, rubbing their face on James’ fingers. He let out a soft laugh and scratched behind their ear, earning a small purr in return. James has lived in this town his whole life, he knows every person, animal, tree, even the cracks in the sidewalk like the back of his hand. But this one, he had never seen before nor had he heard the voice that followed.
“Emily! Ici cherie!” Here darling.Emily looks up at James, who has frozen in place, and rubs her face on his hand once more, motioning for him to continue. When Emily doesn’t return, the voice calls out again, this time softer.
“Emily Adhara Black où es-tu?(where are you)… oh” When James looks up, the most beautiful person he has ever seen is standing in front of him, his eyes moving between James and Emily. James stands up straightening his back with a crack, he may be young but his bones sure don’t act like it. He notices a couple things. A) he is slightly taller than the mystery boy. B) his cheeks start heating up and he hopes that he can pass it off as being cold; he doesn't feel like lingering on the emotions he’s feeling at the moment. The mystery boy, with big grey eyes and scattered freckles, clears his throat and turns his attention to Emily. James realised he was probably staring and quickly looked somewhere else, but his eyes betrayed him, slowly making their way back to the boy. He was now crouching, arms stretched out towards Emily.
“Viens ici mon amour” Come here my love. If his voice was an ocean, James would gladly drown in it. Emily looks up at James once more before waltzing over to her owner. The boy scoops her up and turns to walk back into the cottage. James is still staring, having not said a single word, when his brain finally catches up and he manages
“I’m Ja…” He trails off when he realises that where the mystery boy was, is now empty, and James is left wondering if that was all a dream.