Chapter Text
How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each prayer accept’d, and each wish resign’d.
James
Before
James had grown up surrounded by love and comfort. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were model parents who guided him through life with gentle and comforting hands. There was nothing James was discouraged from - any challenge he faced, he always had the support of his family. He grew confidently, never afraid to try new things, excelling with ease at each new venture he set his mind to. Not only this, but through his parents, he had seen what love was meant to be, and he applied that knowledge to every relationship in his life. James was nothing if not a devoted friend. He nurtured and attended to his friendships like a gardener attends to their plants.
The September following his 11th birthday, James began attending Hogwarts Boarding School, where he met Remus, Sirius, and Peter. Never before had James wondered if something was missing in his life until those three boys filled a hole he hadn’t known was there. From the first day, they were inseparable, and James was at the forefront of their group. He prided himself on the help he could offer his friends when they struggled, and he never felt stronger than when he was surrounded by those boys who meant everything to him. Together, they flourished.
But being the rock for so many people can take its toll, and James began to struggle with differentiating between who he was to his friends, and who he was to himself.
James
After
James wasn’t sure how he’d gotten here.
Standing on the platform at 7 in the morning, without a coat, in the middle of February. Of course, he knew how he’d actually arrived here. He’d called in sick to work, then driven to the railway station in the misty, dark of early morning, and purchased a ticket to Cornwall. But a 5 hour train ride on a whim wasn’t like him. So, how had he gotten here?
His phone buzzed lightly in his pocket.
Moony - 19:12:
Don’t forget about dinner Friday at 8:00. Sirius is attempting to make quiche. He says to bring a bottle of white.
He texted back before glancing around the station again. It was oddly empty. A couple stood a few feet away, leaned against each other, sheltering against the cold. Another man sat cross legged on the ground, a bouquet of roses beside him, enamoured by his cell phone.
Right... It’s Valentine’s day.
A fourth traveller stood shadowed on the other side of the seating shelter, only visible by a pair of gloved hands holding a book. He supposed not a lot of people went to the coast in the middle of winter.
The track rattled with movement and the wind picked up as the train approached. He glanced down at his ticket, shivering slightly. The four others on the platform stepped forward as the train screeched to a halt. The doors opened and James hesitated for a moment after each of the other passengers had disappeared, before clutching his ticket tighter in his fist, and climbing on.