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“Just do it.”
“Don’t rush me!”
“You can’t possibly be taking any longer. You’ve been working on this for years.”
“I have not!" James protested before lowering his voice so only Al could hear him, "I need to wait for the timing to be right.”
“Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.”
“I told you, I’m working on it.”
Al just rolled his eyes at James and stabbed his eggs with his fork before shoveling them into his mouth. “What are you even doing here? I thought you refused to sit in enemy territory during quidditch season.”
“Well, I couldn’t discuss this with you at the Gryffindor table; Ellie eats there,” James explained matter of factly while taking a piece of bacon from Al’s plate. “She could overhear us.”
“That actually might be a benefit. You never have to get the courage to ask her out. She overhears you, she says she likes you too, and my nightmare of listening to you whine about Ellie Longbottom is over.”
“Okay, first off, I do have the courage to ask her out. I’m just conferring with my closest confidant that I am doing it properly. Second off, I do not whine over Ellie.”
“Sure, James, you are very brave, and you haven’t been absolutely pining over Ellie since you were twelve when she dumped a bowl of mushy peas on your head at the Leaky Cauldron after you insulted her pygmy puff.”
“She really is fantastic, isn’t she?”
Al got up from the Slytherin table and patted James on the back, “Just please ask her out today. You're too pathetic to take the mickey out of when you're like this. It's really throwing our dynamic off.”
James watched Al head off to class with the rest of his year. He was going to do it. Today. He was going to ask his best friend Ellie Longbottom, whom he had been embarrassingly in love with for too long, as his kind and supportive younger brother put it, to go out with him to Hogsmeade on Valentine’s Day.
James looked at the gold watch his parents had gifted him for his seventeenth birthday. He had five minutes before the bell rang. Was that enough time to ask Ellie out? He looked over to the Gryffindor table to see that Ellie was laughing at something Edwige Northrop was saying.
He had known Ellie his whole life, which was the tricky part. Extended family gatherings would be awkward if it didn’t work out. Her dad was Al’s godfather, for Godric’s sake! But really, it wasn’t James’ fault the wizarding community was so small, and his parents seemed to be friends with absolutely everyone, including the father of his best friend, who was also the head of his house at Hogwarts, and his brother’s godfather. This meant James could be in detention until he graduated if he messed around with Ellie too much.
He had asked Teddy over the holidays for some advice. After all, he had experience dating a childhood family friend, and now Ted and Vic are married! Unfortunately, he was no help as his response was to simply shrug and say, “Just grab her face and snog her, she’ll get the message.”
His mum had mortifyingly overheard the conversation, and her advice was even worse, insisting that James should write Ellie a poem—horrible idea. Mums knew nothing about asking girls out.
Ellie looked up from her conversation with Edwige and smiled across the hall at James. Deciding that it was best not to waste another moment, and she really did seem to be in a good mood this morning, James got up to talk to her and damn it, the bell rang.
James reluctantly joined the 6th-year Gryffindors as they filed out of the hall towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Ellie intentionally bumped shoulders with James as they walked down the corridor together.
“Saw you eating breakfast in enemy territory this morning. Are you and Al plotting something?”
“Oh, nothing terrible,” James replied while running a hand through his hair. “Your dad still has the mandrakes in Greenhouse Two, right?”
“Your dad must really regret giving you that map.”
James flashed Ellie a cheeky smile while he held open the door to the classroom for her, “Technically, I stole it.”
James spent the entire class plotting the next best time to ask Ellie out. It couldn’t be anywhere too public; what if she got embarrassed? James was still mulling the best opportunity to talk to Ellie alone as he walked her to her muggle studies class before spending his free period in the library. He had a transfiguration essay due; technically, it was overdue. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy Transfiguration; he was actually quite good at it. He and Professor Morfus have had a bit of a feud going on ever since James was caught sneaking into his office in his third year and James was doing a small protest by not turning in his work on time. He wasn't really sure what he was protesting anymore, but he refused to back down.
Mum called it his Stubborn Weasley Pride.
Dad said it was a good way not to pass the sixth year. Whatever, Dad didn't even take his NEWT exams.
The clock in the library chimed, and James cursed under his breath as he realized that his free period had passed and gone, and now lunch was almost over. He was missing yet another opportunity to talk to Ellie.
He picked up his books and ran out of the library. Skidding into the Great Hall, unaware of his surroundings, he collided with Neville Longbottom.
Professor Longbottom eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you late for lunch? That’s not like you, James. Are you up to something?”
“I was in the library. You know, school work and all that. Keeps a lad busy.”
Professor Longbottom raised an eyebrow and looked at his pocket watch before reminding James to eat before the lunch period was over and walked away toward the staff table.
James reached where Ellie sat with her friends at the long Gryffindor table and pulled her by her wrist. “Come on,”
Ellie got up from the table, “James, what? Where have you been?”
“Come on.” James dragged Ellie out of the hall, which admittedly wasn’t a very romantic move, but he was running out of time. Once they got into the wide atrium of the castle, the bell rang.
“What do you want, James?” Ellie asked as students started walking around them to get to class.
“Never mind. Just get to class. I’ll be right behind you.”
Ellie watched James for a second, her brown eyes scanning him, but not noticing anything off, she skipped away, and James smacked his head against the cold stone wall.
“Ouch.” The unwanted and familiar voice of Fred Weasley was right behind him.
“Shut up.” James didn’t turn around or lift his head from the wall.
“So she said no?”
“Haven’t asked yet.”
“You’re a shame upon our family, you know that?”
“Yeah, cheers, mate.”
James headed out to the Herbology greenhouses only after he was sure Fred had left him alone. He wouldn’t say it is his favorite class but enjoys it immensely, mostly because he partners with Ellie. He technically didn’t even need to take Herbology, it wasn’t one of the required NEWTs for entrance into the auror training program. He just wanted to spend more time with Ellie and knew she would take NEWT-level Herbology, so he was taking it too.
“James, stop flicking seeds across the table.” Ellie hissed under her breath but James could see the corner of her mouth turn slightly upward. She liked to pretend to be a well-behaved student in her dad’s class.
“You think I can hit Belby from here?”
Ellie looked toward Belby, who was on the other side of the Greenhouse. “If you miss, you have to streak at the upcoming Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw match.”
James smirked at Ellie, “I never miss.”
And just as he set up the perfect angle to hit Belby in the nose, another class bell rang, and Belby jumped up from his seat and headed out the door.
“Ah, bugger.” James tossed the seed to the ground. “I’ll get him next time.”
“I’m sure you will,” Ellie said reassuringly and linked arms with James as he headed out onto the snow-covered grounds. “You have to get close James; it's so cold!” Ellie's teeth chattered in the afternoon wind.
James stepped closer to Ellie, and her lovely floral scent overwhelmed his senses and made him feel a little dizzy, or perhaps he was just hungry from accidentally skipping lunch. Ellie always smelled like a spring garden, no matter the weather outside.
“Ellie?” James stopped their walking and looked down at her. Ellie’s blonde hair under her winter hat was flying in the wind.
“Yeah, James.” She moved a strand of her hair out of her mouth. James wondered if her lips were as cold as his.
“Well, I was wondering, you know tomorrow is Hogsmeade and - for fucks sake! What are those knobheads doing?” Behind Ellie’s shoulder, James could see a group of third-years attempting to hex the school brooms. “Go ahead to Transfiguration. I’ll deal with this.”
With the authority of his quidditch captain badge and his best impression of his mum when he was in trouble he told off the students for messing around with the school brooms and took the hexed brooms to Madam Hooch’s office.
His trip to dispose of the confiscated brooms ended up taking longer than he had intended. Madam Hooch, it turned out, was eager to have a moment alone with James and question him about his interest in professional quidditch. Should she put his name on the list of students for potential recruiters to scout? He merely shrugged. He wanted to be an auror like his dad, but quidditch was always an excellent backup in case he failed all his NEWTs.
He didn’t want to say it out loud though. It would probably jinx everything and then he wouldn’t be an auror or a quidditch player. He’d probably end up driving the Knight Bus.
Ellie was standing outside the Great Hall when he entered the castle. Without a word she took James’ hand and led him to an empty classroom.
“You missed Transfiguration. Professor Morfus told me to give you this.”
Ellie held out a slip of parchment for James to take. It was a detention slip for tomorrow. All day.
“Unbelievable!”
“I thought you’d be upset.” Ellie looked at her feet.
“Upset is an understatement! I had plans! Stupid third years messed everything up. How can I get in trouble for doing the right thing? Was I supposed to let the kids get thrown off the brooms and get whacked by the whomping willow?” James crumpled up the slip, threw it across the room, and yanked his hair in frustration before turning around to look at Ellie. “It's like the whole universe is hell-bent on playing one big joke on me or something today. I was supposed to ask you out to Hogsmeade tomorrow and now I have to spend the whole day polishing trophies?
Ellie stood in the room with her mouth wide open and her eyes blinking in surprise, “You were going to ask me out?”
James felt a sudden rush of panic wash over him. “What? No, I wasn’t.”
“But you just said.”
“No, I didn’t. You misheard me.” James already regretted the words before they left his mouth, “Why would I want to ask you out?”
Ellie scrunched up her face and spoke in a very unfamiliar voice that James didn’t recognize, “Well, that’s a shame.”
Ellie turned on her heel and ran out of the room, leaving James to feel like a stupid idiot. Cursing under his breath, James ran after her but lost Ellie in the sea of students making their way to the Great Hall for dinner. He scanned the Gryffindor table and couldn’t find Ellie.
He circumvented the Gryffindor table again and sank down beside Al at the Slytherin table. Sometimes it was helpful to have family members in other houses as an excuse to avoid your friends.
“Take it you had an unsuccessful day.” Al greeted James without looking at him while he piled roasted potatoes onto his plate.
James lowered his head onto the gold plate and groaned. “I’m the biggest idiot that ever lived.”
“Mum and Dad will be pleased to hear we agree on something. The roast is really good tonight. Do you want some?”
James lifted his head and scooped brussel sprouts onto his plate. “You're lucky you’re into blokes. Girls are too difficult.”
“Ah yes, historically being homosexual has been a breeze, no problems ever.”
“Yeah, okay.” James took a bite of roast beef. “Maybe I should swear off relationships and live in the cave Sirius lived in above Hogsmeade like a crazy hermit.”
“I don’t think you could handle a diet of raw rats after a childhood filled with Nana’s sunday roasts.”
“Ugh, you think he ate them raw?”
“You think he had an oven in the cave? He didn’t have a wand, of course he ate the rats raw.”
Scorpius, who was sitting across from Al groaned as he pushed his dinner plate away, “You two really know how to kill a bloke’s appetite. Raw rats?”
James and Al laughed at the disgusted look on Scorpius’ face.
Later that evening when James was back in the Gryffindor common room James was unsuccessful in getting any of the girls in his year to get Ellie to come down from their room and talk to him. He even tried to bribe his twelve-year-old sister to help him out, but she just took his knuts and ran away without retrieving Ellie.
When the common room emptied and it became clear Ellie was not going to come down from her dorm James slowly walked up the stairs to the boys' dorm. He collapsed on his bed and closed the curtains tight while casting a muffling charm so he wouldn’t be overheard. From his pocket he brought out a small handheld mirror and called out his dad’s name.
As quick as a blink, because Harry Potter always carried his two way mirror unless on an auror raid, a familiar head with a crop of messy dark hair like his own and bright green eyes behind round glasses filled the frame of the mirror where James' reflection once was.
“Jim! What did you do now?” His dad was grinning beside the accusatory greeting. James could never understand why the press always referred to his dad as dark, moody, and unapproachable. From James’ perspective, his dad never stopped smiling.
“What kind of greeting is that? Never mind, you’ll probably get a notice of my detention anyway, but just so you know, it is a grave injustice.”
His dad chuckled and shook his head, “A grave injustice, is it?”
“Yes, I was a bloody hero today! Some stupid third-year students were tampering with the school brooms, and I turned the brooms in before anyone could get hurt! Which resulted in me missing Transfiguration, and now I have detention all day tomorrow.”
“Did you explain to Morfus why you skipped class?”
“No, but I probably deserve detention anyway because I haven’t turned in the last few essays and that’s not why I called anyway.”
James started at his dad. Maybe the press was right. His dad could be intimidating. He should have called Teddy instead.
“Jim?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Was there something you needed?”
James ruffled his hair and avoided eye contact with his dad,
“I messed up. I got mad that I had detention during a Hogsmeade weekend, and I told Ellie that I didn’t want to ask her out, but I did want to ask her out I just didn’t want her to hear me ask her out during a rant but now she thinks I don’t like her and I think she spent the whole evening crying in her dorm and she won’t come down for me to apologize and I am such an idiot and what should I do?”
“Okay... Not sure I followed all that.” James’ dad looked over his shoulder and then back at James “Do you want to talk to Mum? She’s better at this kind of stuff.”
“No! Mum will just tell me to write a poem or something and it will make me look like an absolute pillock.”
“You never know, Son, poems can be quite endearing.”
“Ugh, you’re so gross. Never mind, I’m never asking you for advice again.”
“Look,” James noticed that his dad’s voice had turned to a serious dad tone, “Ellie has known you your whole life. Just apologize for running your mouth.”
“She won’t come down the stairs, though.”
“It's a shame you can’t find a way to circumvent the stairs.”
“Are you telling me to break the school rules?”
“I’m not known for following rules am I? Besides maybe you can actually earn that detention you were so unjustly given.”
“Alright, I got it. Thanks.”
“Anytime, Jim. Love you.”
James threw his mirror on top of his bedside table, opened his trunk, and pulled out his invisibility cloak, broom, and the Marauder's Map. He ran a finger over the name “Prongs' ' giving a silent prayer for his grandad to watch over him on this very important mission. He liked to think his name sake watched over him whenever he used his map and cloak.
James wrapped the cloak around himself and threw open the window to the cold February night, causing the other boys in the room to wake up.
“Merlin, Potter, what are you doing now?”
“Is he going to jump?”
“Nah, he’s got his broom.”
“Alright then, I’m going back to bed.”
James flew out the window into the dark night sky. He turned his broom around to face Gryffindor Tower. He counted the windows of the tower until he found Ellie’s room.
Hovering right by the window he tapped gently on the window. Nothing. He tapped louder until a Romy Fawcett, wearing a silk nightcap, opened the window. And then she screamed.
“What’s going on!” A voice from inside the dorm shouted.
“It's Potter but it's just his head!” Romy pointed at James, her eyes wide in fear.
“Oh, sorry!” James took off his cloak and folded it over his arm, “Forgot I was wearing the cloak. Can I speak with Ellie?”
Romy left and he could hear whispered arguments, “Just tell him to leave then!” and finally after James was sure he was going to get frostbite from the winter wind, Ellie appeared at the window.
“What do you want, James? You’re causing a disturbance.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Can we please talk? I’ve been wanting to talk to you all day.”
Ellie crossed her arms over her chest, “Make it quick.”
“Not here. Come with me.” James held out his hand for Ellie to take, “I want to talk to you in private.”
“No! We will get in so much trouble!”
“Please, Ellie. Just come with me.” Ellie’s expression softened as she looked at James, who felt quite desperate in the moment.
“Okay, just let me grab my cloak.”
Once bundled in her cloak and knitted hat she climbed out the window and onto the back of his hovering broom.
“Hold tight,” James told her, and when he felt her arms squeeze around his middle, his heart leaped in his chest as her floral scent washed over him. It was both calming and exhilarating. He flew away from the tower and dove down toward the castle grounds.
“James, it's too cold! This is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had!”
“Actually, it was my dad’s!”
They land in the clock tower courtyard. The snow in the courtyard is enveloped in serene stillness, occasionally broken by the gentle ticking of the giant castle clock echoing through the night.
"Ellie," James began, his voice trembling slightly. He resisted the urge to run his hand through his hair again and squared his shoulders and mustered the strength to look at Ellie’s face, "I wanted to apologize. I've been an idiot. I didn’t mean what I said before dinner. I don’t know why I said I didn’t want to ask you out. The truth is I've wanted to ask you out since we were twelve years old, I just didn’t want to lose my best friend. But I made you cry and I'm sorry for making you cry earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. I really like you and -"
Before James could continue, Ellie stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and before he could process what was happening, she pressed her lips against his, silencing his words with the warmth of her kiss.
Ellie stepped back while James took a breath, and she looked at James in disbelief. “Really, James? Since we were twelve?”
The clock tower chimed, its hourly melody echoing through the courtyard as if to herald the dawn of a new beginning.
James nodded.
“We really need to work on your timing, Potter.”
“Yeah, told you I’ve been a real idiot.” James wrapped his arms around Ellie as she laughed, pulling her closer as they shared another tender kiss beneath the starlit sky.
As they finally pulled away, breathless and exhilarated, James whispered against Ellie's lips, his voice barely audible above the soft hum of the ticking clock. "Happy Valentine's Day."
A smile bloomed across Ellie's face, radiant and full of happiness. "Ah, look at that, right on time. Happy Valentine's Day, James."