Chapter Text
June 21, 1996
You finally did it. Not only did you pass all of your sixth year classes; but thanks to the time-turner Professor Dumbledore gifted you and Harry’s invisibility cloak, you were also able to secretly sit in on seventh year classes as well.
It was tricky. While you were able to sit in the back and take notes under the invisibility cloak, you still had to come back after hours every night to practice the spells and potions on your own. Not to mention you weren’t able to ask the professors for help since you technically weren’t supposed to be learning them yet.
So yes, it was tricky and absolutely exhausting, but it was worth it. With the return of Voldemort becoming more and more obvious, you knew the chances of you returning to Hogwarts next fall for your final year was slim. It’s more than likely that while your classmates are riding the Hogwarts Express for the final time, you and your friends will be Godric knows where, hunting down and (hopefully) destroying the Horcruxes. Which is why you took it upon yourself to learn everything you could, so that you’re prepared for whatever happens.
Aside from doing double the workload, you also snuck into the restricted section of the library more times than you can count, reading everything you thought could be helpful. What can you say? You really don’t want to die.
Wanting to grab dinner with your friends one last time before leaving, you make your way out of the dorms and into the common room.
It’s when you get there that things get weird. Your friends that were lounging around the common room all stop moving, as if frozen in time, before they start moving backwards.
“Guys?” you call out, though they don’t answer.
You watch as they all eventually stand and make their way out of the portrait hole. They do it all while walking backwards, like a film being rewinded.
You stand in the middle of the common room, in absolute confusion as more and more students pass through, all walking backwards as well.
“What the fuck?” you curse aloud.
The longer this goes on, the faster everyone starts to move. Soon enough, you can’t even make anyone out, just vague figures blurring past you. Then it finally hits you.
The time-turner.
You plunge your right hand into your bag, digging around until you feel a cold chain brush your fingertips. Grasping onto it, you tug harshly, pulling out the necklace Professor Dumbledore gifted you, and to your horror, the time-turner is spinning.
“Oh, no,” you cry. You try pushing the button several times but it’s no use. It just keeps spinning around and around.
“No, no, no, no, no. Please, no,” you beg, shaking the time-turner vigorously.
Eventually it comes to a stop, and you sigh in relief.
September 7, 1976
“Stupid thing, I thought you were supposed to make my life easier,” you say to the time-turner before throwing it in your bag again.
“Well, that was scary.” you say, walking around the common room. “But I think everything turned out okay.”
“Except for that.” You stop in front of a calendar posted on the wall, the date reading September 7, 1976.
There’s no way, you think to yourself, shaking your head. This has to be a mistake, right?
You stumble out of the portrait hole and as the door closes, you come face to face with the Fat Lady.
“Hello, lovey!” She greets you. “I don’t remember seeing you before. Are you new here?”
“What’s the date?” you find yourself asking instead of answering her.
“September 7, 1976.” She replies easily. You widen your eyes at that and shakily take a step back. “Oh, don’t worry, dearie. First day at a new school can be nerve wracking, but you’re Gryffindor for a reason, eh?”
You smile weakly at her before turning on your heel and running down the hall. You run out to the courtyard and take a deep breath, the fresh air helping calm you down a bit.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,” you keep cursing. “Oh, this is bad.”
After a few more breaths, you’re able to calm your racing heart…and hear someone getting scolded.
“-unbelievable. It’s only the first day back and already you boys are giving me a headache. I should’ve known you were up to something; you were too quiet during lunch. If you think I won’t take points just because you’re from my own house you-“
You were walking across the courtyard when the women's focus shifted to you.
“Young lady, where is your uniform?”
Quickly surveying the courtyard and not seeing another girl around, you realize they’re talking to you, and you sheepishly turn towards the voice. You can’t help the relieved sigh that you let out. Professor McGonagall.
You start to make your way towards her, disregarding the group of boys she was previously talking to.
“Why aren’t you in class?” She asks once you’re right in front of her.
“…I don’t really know how to answer that.” you say honestly. “But I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore right away.”
“Whatever it is, I’m afraid it’ll have to wait until he’s back.”
Until he’s back? you think to yourself. Where did he go? He’s the one who got me in this mess and he isn’t even here to fix it? Unbelievable!
“Well then, I need to speak with you.” you say instead.
If Dumbledore can’t help you, maybe she can.
“Yes, you do.” she says, staring you down before turning to look at the group she was previously talking to. “Once I’ve dealt with these-“
“Professor,” you interrupt, causing her to shift her attention back to you. “Respectfully, can’t you talk with them later? This is important.”
“Oh?” She asks, to which you nod your head.
“If we could please speak in your office…” you trail off.
“Very well,” she says, turning and starting to walk away. You hesitate for only a moment before following after her.
“Who’s that?” you hear a male voice ask.
“I don’t know, but I think she just helped us out so I like her!” Another says with a chuckle.
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Professor McGonagall inspects the time-turner before sighing and turning her gaze to you.
“And you’re saying Albus gave this to you?”
“Yes.” you nod, running your hands through your hair, “And I broke it!”
“And I know that’s a reckless thing to do and I know you don’t know me yet but I’m far from reckless.” You urge, “I’ve been attending Hogwarts since 1991 and have been a great student.”
“Miss Y/L/N-“
“I mean don’t get me wrong, sure my friends and I got into a bit of trouble every now and then-“
“Miss Y/L/N-“
“But we’re kids!” you defend, “Besides, we’ve saved the school more times than we should-“
“Miss Y/L/N!” Professor McGonagall shouts, finally getting your attention. “You’re not in trouble.”
“I’m not?” You take back the time-turner and nervously start trying to untangle the chain.
“From what you’ve told me it was an accident. And I’m sure Professor Dumbledore would be happy to help you fix it the moment he’s back, whenever that may be.”
You nod your head, silently. Your chin starts to quiver and you bite your bottom lip in an attempt to keep it together.
“Miss Y/L/N, why are you crying?” she asks, handing you a tissue.
“Because I’m fucked!” you proclaim.
“Sorry! Sorry, I didn’t mean to swear but it’s just now hitting me how screwed I am.” you cry, dabbing at your eyes.
“I’m stuck in a time I shouldn’t even be alive in, my friends aren’t here because they haven’t even been born yet, I have no family, no money, no home, and I don’t know how long I’m gonna be stuck here and it’s just really-“
“There, there,” She cooes, reaching over to grasp your hand. “Getting yourself worked up like that won’t do you any good.”
“Now, we can’t have you just roaming around the castle grounds, waiting for Professor Dumbledore to return. So we’re going to get you your books, your uniform, and starting tomorrow you’ll be attending class just like everyone else.”
“What? But I already did my sixth year,” you complain.
“Technically you haven’t,” she tells you, laughing when you groan.
“It’s better this way. You have to blend in while you’re here. Besides, if you already did it, then this should go swimmingly for you. Now come along.”
Once you've gotten your books, supplies, and uniforms, Professor McGonagall walks you to your dorm. It’s very late by now, everyone no doubt in bed. So you aren’t surprised when you don’t see anyone in the halls or common room.
“I get the whole place to myself?” you ask excitedly, taking in the huge empty room.
“Normally it’s four to a room, but you’re an exception since you arrived late. Or should I say early?”
Professor McGonagall takes out a few galleons from her pocket and places it in your hand.
“Pocket money.” She informs you, “For Hogsmeade outings or whatever you may need.”
“Thank you,” you tell her sincerely, hugging her tightly. “Nice to know some things never change.”
“Sorry?” she asks, pulling back.
“Oh, um, you tended to mother me in my timeline as well.” you say sheepishly, a blush blooming across your cheeks.
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
“I don’t understand why you aren’t more concerned.” Sirius says, taking a bit of his toast. “It’s strange.”
“What’s strange,” Remus interjects, “Is that you’re questioning this so much.”
“Why would Minnie just let it go?” Sirius continues.
“She got tied up with something else?” Remus offers, shrugging. “I don’t know and I don’t care. Can’t you just be happy that we didn’t start 6th year with detention?”
“Who’s that?” Peter asks, nodding his head to the right.
The Marauders, and everyone else in the Great Hall, turn their heads to see you standing at the entrance. You’re fixing the strap on your school bag, completely oblivious to the stares you’re getting. Or maybe you just don’t care, James thinks to himself.
Finally done fixing your bag, you look up, only to freeze momentarily when you see everyone staring at you. Your eyes widen just the tiniest bit and you bring a hand up, smoothing out your hair which is styled in loose waves. James can’t help but smile adoringly, thinking your reaction to be incredibly cute.
Taking a deep breath, you hold your head up high and make your way to the Gryffindor table. You walk past the group of four without so much as a glance in their direction and take a seat at the far end of the table; setting your bag on the seat next to you before putting some fruit on your plate.
“I think that’s the new kid Marlene was telling us about in the common room.” Sirius says.
“Hang on, isn’t that the girl from yesterday?” Remus asks, causing all four of them to look at you again.
“As a matter of fact, Moony, I believe it is!” Sirius confirms.
“Should we go say hi?” Peter asks, looking between his friends.
“Mm, I don’t know. We’re not really a welcoming party, Wormtail.” Sirius says, not wanting to get up.
“But-“ James interrupts, “We would have been in detention if it wasn’t for her. So maybe we should?”
“Good point.” Sirius nods, taking a big sip of his drink.
You look up from your plate to see four young men standing in front of you.You look them all over; smiling at the one on the far right. He’s got unruly dark hair and hazel eyes. But more noticeably, he has round glasses, just like Harry’s.
“Cute glasses,” you say in greeting, causing everyone else to chuckle. James however, remains frozen. He blushes furiously at your compliment, before subconsciously readjusting his frames.
“Right, sorry to bother you,” The one with sandy brown hair says. He looks familiar to you, but you can’t figure out why.
“You kind of saved us from getting in trouble yesterday, so we wanted to say thank you and introduce ourselves, seeing as you’re new and might not know that many people yet.”
“Alright,” you smile at him, taking a sip of your water.
“I’m Remus,” he points to himself, causing you to choke on your drink. Your smile immediately drops.
Remus? As in Remus Lupin? Your old professor? Your friend?
“And this is Sirius,” he says, gesturing to the man next to him. He’s got long black hair and gray eyes that you’d recognize anywhere. That’s Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather.
“Next to him is Peter,” you narrow your eyes at him immediately. Peter Pettigrew, that coward, that snake. All the heartache and pain he caused. Because of him Harry grew up without his parents and Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn’t commit. Oh, how you want to strangle him. But you can’t. Technically he hasn’t done anything…yet.
But wait a minute. If that’s Remus, Sirius and Peter… You take a quick glance at the one with glasses and your heart drops. How didn’t you see it before?
“…Lastly, this is James.” Remus finishes.
Jame Potter. Harry’s dad is standing right in front of you and you flirted with him literally a minute ago.
Oh, shit.
You don’t know anything about time travel, but you’re pretty sure you shouldn’t be talking to any of these people. That being said…
“I’m so sorry,” you interrupt, standing abruptly from the table and grabbing your bag. “I have to go. Can we do this another time?”
Before any of them are able to give you a response, you’re already making your way out the door.
The second you reach the courtyard, you run your hands through your hair.
“Fuck! Of course this would happen to me!” you groan, frustrated and annoyed.
You haven’t even been here a full twenty four hours and you’ve already managed to run into your old professor, who ended up being like an older brother to you, your friend's godfather, your friend's actual father, and Peter, the cause of their downfall.
“I can’t completely avoid them because we’re all in the same house, but I can keep our interactions to a minimum.” you tell yourself, making your way to Potions, the first class of the day. “And obviously I can’t tell them I’m from the future.”
Arriving in Potions, you take a seat by the window and pull your book out, before setting your bag down. As more students make their way in, upon noticing you, the new kid, they either smile at you or raise their hand in greeting before making their way to their seats. You smile back at them, or even nod your head in greeting before eventually turning to look out the window. You don’t notice the red haired girl that sits on the table adjacent to yours.
You do, however, notice a certain Slytherin, as he clears his throat loudly to get your attention. Turning away from the window and gazing up at the man, it takes you all of three seconds to realize who’s standing in front of you. You’d recognize that pale blonde hair and smug smirk anywhere. Malfoy. Not Draco, but Lucius.
“Do you need something?” you ask, staring up at him from your seat.
Movement behind him catches your eye and your attention shifts momentarily as you see the Marauders walking up behind him, probably trying to get to their seats.
“You’re in my seat.” Lucius growls at you.
“That’s funny,” you say, brows furrowed as you inspect the desk before looking up at him again. “I don’t see your name anywhere on it.”
There are several amused snickers in the class as Lucius continues to stare you down.
“Sit somewhere else.” he orders.
“I would rather die.” you answer, smiling sweetly at him. You hear someone gasp in the background, probably not used to hearing someone speak to him that way.
“I sat there yesterday.” he informs you, you nod your head in faux concern. “And I will sit there again today. Move.”
Releasing an annoyed sigh, you scoot your chair back, causing Lucius to grin victoriously. That grin disappears, however, when instead of gathering your belongings, you kick your feet up on the desk.
With you having no intention of moving, Lucius moves your feet off the desk before staring down at you.
“It’s your first day here, so I’ll let it go this one time. But I’d advise you to not cross me again.” he sneers at you.
Sitting up in your chair, you dust off your desk before neatly placing your hands on top.
“And I’d advise you to find a seat,” you tell him, sarcasm evident in your tone and your smile. “Class is about to begin.”
With a final huff, Lucius stalks past you, kicking somebody else out of their seat before he sets his things down.
I can see where Draco gets it from, you think to yourself with a roll of your eyes.
“That was so cool, the way you stood up to Lucius like that.” the red headed girl says, before putting her hand out to introduce herself. “I’m Lily. Lily Evans.”
You gotta be joking, you think to yourself as you shake her hand, with a smile that you hope doesn’t look as strained as it feels.
“Nice to meet you!” you say, dropping her hand.
“And you are?” she asks, looking at you expectantly.
“Y/N.” you tell her.
“But between saving us from detention and telling off Malfoy, she’s becoming my hero.” Sirius interjects with a wink in your direction as the boys all take their seats, which happen to be surrounding the desk you chose.
So much for keeping our interactions to a minimum.
At that moment, Professor Bartholomew walks in and begins going over that day's lesson.
“Y/N.” Lily whispers after a few minutes.
“Hm?” you ask, turning to look at her.
“Do you need a quill?” She asks.
You look at your desk, completely empty except for your textbook.
“Oh. Shit. I guess I do.” you say, turning back to her sheepishly.
Lily giggles softly before handing you a quill, an inkwell, and a roll of parchment she had on her desk.
“Thanks, Red.” you smile appreciatively at her. Lily smiles at the unique nickname you give her, nodding her head before turning back to the lesson.
While Professor Bartholomew goes on about the Elixir to Induce Euphoria, you sit at your desk, staring out the window. You’re lost in thought, wondering if you’ll be able to get back home. Will Dumbledore even know how to fix the time-turner? What if he can’t help you and you’re stuck here?
“Now, why would one want to induce a sense of inexplicable, irrational happiness? Anyone? Miss Y/L/N?”
“To cure uncontrollable sobbing.” you answer, turning your gaze away from the window and facing the professor.
“Yes! Very good, my dear!” he nods, happy that you got it right.
“And are there any side effects to this potion?” he asks the class.
You hear the rustle of pages being flipped back and forth, the students desperately trying to find the answer.
“No? Nobody? Miss Y/L/N?” he calls to you again, “Perhaps you know the answer to this as well?”
“Excessive singing and nose tweaking.” you tell him, causing him to clap.
“Excellent work! Ten points to Gryffindor!” Professor Bartholomew announces, before going over the ingredients needed for the potion.
“How does she know that?” Lily whispers to James, causing him to look up from his notes. “Her book isn’t even open.”
James looks over at you and sure enough, your book is still closed. Your arms are crossed over your chest and you’re gazing out the window again. James shrugs at Lily before getting back to his notes but still glances at you occasionally.
When the bell rings, you hand the unused parchment, quill and ink back to Lily.
“Guess I didn’t need it,” you shrug when she looks at you confused. “Thanks anyway, Red.”
With that, you pick up your book, putting it in your bag as you make your way out the door.
James doesn’t even realize he had been staring after you until Remus comes up behind him.
“Are you gonna sit there all day or what?” he asks James, already making his way towards the door.
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
“Hello my gorgeous Lily flower.” James greets the moment he sits down for lunch. “Did you miss me?”
Lily groans in annoyance, tossing a bread roll at his head before starting to pile food onto her plate.
“How many times have I told you not to call me that? And I didn’t miss you at all! Tosser…” she complains, scowling at him.
When James doesn’t respond, Lily looks up, only to see him staring towards the Great Hall entrance. Lily sees you standing at the entrance and then quickly turns towards James again, who’s still staring. She shares an amused look with Remus before the latter shrugs his shoulders. You’ve only just walked past them when Lily calls out to you.
“Y/N!”
Stopping in your tracks, you slowly turn around, seeing Lily waving her arm to get your attention.
“Come sit with us!” she says, smiling when you make your way back to them.
“Move it, Potter.” Lily orders, shoving James. “I want her to sit next to me.”
Grumbling, James crawls under the table, and pops up on the other side, sitting between Sirius and Remus.
“Hey, Red,” you greet, before smiling to the boys sitting across from you. “Gentlemen.”
“Oi that’s not fair!” Sirius immediately starts complaining. “How come she gets a nickname and we don’t?”
“Shut it, you big baby.” Marlene scolds, “I don’t want you to scare her away.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Remus says, smiling at you, “Didn’t you see how she went head to head with Lucius?”
“That’s right!” Dorcas gasps, “He was in your face and you didn’t even flinch. How did you do that?”
Everything you’ve gone through with your friends flash through your mind. Your heart aches at the thought of them, wondering if you’ll ever see them again.
“Guess I just don’t scare easily.” you say with a nervous laugh, running a hand through your hair.
“Well it was brilliant. You’re brilliant,” Lily says, linking her arm with yours. “And you’re my friend now, okay?”
This is a bad idea, you think to yourself. Nothing good can come from befriending Harry’s parents. Say no. Say you don’t want any friends. Say you don’t need any friends. Whatever you do, don’t say-
“Okay,” you tell her with a nod.
Fucking idiot, you think to yourself.
Lily claps her hands excitedly before piling food onto your plate for you, only to stop when Sirius clears his throat.
“Oh, right. We’re a package deal,” Lily says, gesturing to the group of friends.
You shrug at that before taking a bite of your food.
Lunch passes with no incident. Everyone is so kind, welcoming you to the group easily. When they say something you don’t get, they explain the inside joke so you don’t feel left out. It’s nice. They’re nice.
You think James can be a bit much. Sure he’s been making too many jokes, but even he seems friendly enough, so you try not to roll eyes when he opens his mouth for the thousandth time.
Eventually Lily stands, pulling you with her.
“Where are you going?” James asks, brown furrowed as he stares at you.
“We have Alchemy next.” Lily says, causing Marlene and Dorcas to stand as well. “It’s a bit of a walk, might as well get a head start.”
“Oh, oh,” James splutters, “Well, um…have a good class…”
Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas look at James in confusion. Hell, even Remus, Sirius and Peter look at James funny. The only person who doesn’t, is you; and that’s only because you haven’t known him long enough to know how completely out of character that is for him.
“You too,” you say instead, waving at them all with a beaming smile.
The four of you walk away, leaving the boys amongst themselves.
When James looks up again, there are three sets of eyes on him.
“…What?” he asks, looking at his friends.
“Have a good class,” Sirius mimics him, making his voice light and airy. “What was that?”
James clears his throat awkwardly, avoiding eye contact as he gets his bag.
“Nothing.”
“What about you frozen earlier, staring at Y/N?” Remus asks, smirking at his friend.
James stands up, fixing his hair as he does.
“That was nothing too.”
“Are you sure?” Peter presses, joining in on the teasing. “Couldn’t help but notice you were making more jokes than usual today. Why’s that, Remus?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Wormtail,” Remus answers smugly, “Could it be that someone has a crush on the new girl?”
“Oh, piss off! I was just being nice!” James defends.
With that being said, James turns on his heel and heads to his next class, leaving his friends behind. He hopes his face doesn’t look as red as it feels.
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Walking out of History of Magic, your last class of the day, you raise your arms above your head and stretch. You only make it a few feet when you hear a voice call out to you.
“You’re a far way from home, aren’t you?”
You turn around immediately, eyes wide as they step out of the shadows.
“Professor Dumbledore!” you greet, “You’re back!”
“Yes, I was told I had a special guest waiting for me.” he says with a reassuring smile.
“Shall we speak in my office?” he asks, walking with you through the halls. “I believe you have quite a story to tell, don’t you?”
You smile sheepishly and nod your head. Once you both arrive at the third floor, Professor Dumbledore stops in front of a huge griffin statue. He utters the password, sherbet lemon, before the statue begins to rotate, allowing you to access the hidden staircase.
The moment you’re both seated, you start telling Professor Dumbledore everything.
You tell him how you got your acceptance letter to Hogwarts in 1991, and how Professor McGonagall herself came to the orphanage to collect you and take you to Diagon Alley to purchase your supplies. You tell him about your friends, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. You tell him about Voldemort, and everything that happened at the triwizard tournament. Finally, you tell him about the time-turner.
Eventually, he holds his hand out to you. “May I see it?”
You scramble to find the time-turner, digging through your bag before eventually fishing it out. Professor Dumbledore inspects it in silence for a few moments before nodding his head.
“Well?” you ask anxiously, “Do you think you can help me?”
“It won’t be easy..” he starts.
“But can you?” you interrupt excitedly. “Can you fix it and send me back to my time?”
“I will do everything in my power to help you.” he confirms with a nod, causing you to smile.
“In the meantime, you should continue attending class as usual.” he tells you.
“Okay,” you nod, happy at the possibility of you going home.
“And do try to stay out of trouble.” Professor Dumbledore warns. “That group you've befriended seems to gravitate towards it.”
At the mention of them, your smile drops.
“That’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about…” you tell him, nervously toying with your fingers. “That group of people, I… I know them.”
“Oh?” Professor Dumbledore asks, looking at you curiously.
“I know what happens to them, it’s terrible,” you confess. “Most of them end up dead only months after turning twenty one.”
“That’s a heavy burden for you to carry by yourself, but you have to.” he tells you solemnly. “They’re only kids now. Telling them what their future holds will only lead to heartache.”
“So what am I meant to do?” you ask, sniffling. “Keep my mouth shut? Lead them to their deaths with a smile on my face?”
“Be their friend,” he tells you with a shake of his head. “And remember you’re here for only a moment. What good will come of this? Of you, telling them of their future, knowing you can’t change it? Knowing that as soon as the time-turner is fixed, you’ll go back to your time and leave them behind.”
“It’s not right,” you tell him, shaking your head. “It’s not fair to them.”
“I never said it would be,” Professor Dumbledore says with a sigh, “But I wish it was.”
Eventually you leave his office and take a walk to clear your head, desperate to make sense of all of this.
Professor Dumbledore is going to try to repair your time-turner, to help get you back to the year 1996. You don’t know how long this could take. It could be one week, it could be one month, it could be three months, it could be never.
You know Professor Dumbledore is right. No good can come from telling them the truth, but can you keep it from them? Sure, now it isn’t a problem. You’ve only known them a day. But you know eventually the guilt will start to eat at you.
When you finally make it to the Gryffindor entrance, it’s been hours since your last class finished. You walk into the common room and see the Marauders sitting amongst the couches.
“Hey!” Sirius greets. “Missed you at dinner, where’d you run off to?”
“Oh, uh…Professor Dumbledore wanted to see how my first day went, being new and all,” you stutter. “And afterwards I just went for a walk. Guess I lost track of time.”
They all nod, accepting your lie easily. Peter fills you in on what you missed; and soon the others are joining in, laughing about the backfired spell a second year tried.
Standing there, watching these four boys laugh together as they tell you a story, you realize you can’t do it. You can’t be their friend while knowing what their future holds. It’ll break your heart, spending your time with them, watching them fall in love, and make plans for their future, knowing they all end up dead. Feeling your eyes start to water, you quickly excuse yourself.
“Yeah, that’s great. It’s actually been a long day for me so I’m gonna go.”
You’ve only just started climbing the stairs to the girls dormitories when a soft voice calls out to you.
“Y/N?”
Frozen, you take a shaky breath and wipe your eyes before turning around. James is standing at the foot of the stairs, staring at you with concerned eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yeah,” you nod, forcing yourself to smile. “I just forgot how bad my allergies get in the fall.”
James just continues to stare at you, before eventually nodding. He knew you were lying, and you knew he didn’t believe you. But he was kind enough to leave it alone and for that, you were grateful.
“Here.” he says, reaching into his robes and pulling out something wrapped in a napkin before handing it to you.
Unfolding the napkin, you see three small blueberry scones, stacked atop each other.
“…Why?” you finally ask, gazing up at him. It’s not like you guys are close. You’d only known him a couple hours. James just puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs.
“You missed dinner.” he says, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
You feel your eyes tearing up again at his kindness.
“Thank you,” you tell him, genuinely before turning around and making your way up the stairs.
“You’re welcome,” James says, even though you’re long gone.
When he turns around, once again his friends are staring at him.
“What now?” he asks with a roll of his eyes, sitting on the arm chair again.
“What was that?” Remus asks, already knowing the answer he’ll get.
“Nothing.”
“Didn’t seem like nothing,” Sirius objects, “Seemed like a sweet moment between you and the new girl.”
“Her name is Y/N,” James corrects, “and there was no moment. She wasn’t at dinner, so I saved her some. That’s all there is to it.”
“You’ve never saved me dinner,” Sirius calls out, “What about you, Moony? Has he ever saved you dinner?”
“Can’t say that he has,” Remus tells him with a shake of his head. “Wormtail?”
“I’ve never gotten dinner from James.”
“Alright, alright. Enough of that” James says, picking up his textbooks.
“Just answer me this!” Sirius calls out, stopping James before he was going to leave. “Have you ever brought food specifically for Lily?”
“You’re a prick.” James says, flipping him off before climbing the stairs, ignoring his friend's laughter.
The answer is no, he’s never done that for Lily before either.