When I see you.. (James Potter)

Chapter 21: Hogsmeade

Prim and Joy were standing next to each other, waving to their friends who were sitting in a magically driving carriage that was leaving the grounds of Hogwarts just now. With a sigh, Joy turns on her heels to go back inside. Prim lays her arm around Joy, comforting her. "It is going to be alright..."

"I can't believe Lucius hit James just like that", and she sighed again, not only because she noticed that she indeed is taking crap even though she had sworn to herself this morning that she wouldn't, but also because she noticed that it hurts to see her friendship with Lucius and Nila fade. "Do you really think he follows you know who?"

Prim shrugs her shoulders but nodding her head softly. "We have to prepare ourselves..."

Joy noticed an undertone in Prim's voice that indicates that she wants to say more. "Because of me?"

Prim sighs, and takes a look around. Hogwarts was covered in snow and Christmas decorations were hanging all around, but the sun was still shining bright, it's a perfect day. "Let's make today not about them, it's about us", she smiles. "and after what I've heard this morning", she wiggles her eyebrows, "I think you cannot wait to go out on a date with James!", she grins.

Joy frowns but cannot help herself, she starts smiling. "It's not a date!"

"Yes yes, the four of us are simply going on a visit to Hogsmeade", Prim continues in a lazy voice, predicting what Joy was just about to say.

Joy presses her lips together in order to prevent a laugh, and when she caught herself again she nods a perfectly strict: "exactly".

The two walk over to the courtyard where Prim said to meet them. There weren't a lot of students left at Hogwarts that were staying over Christmas, but for people in Joy's year it was not unusual to stay, quite a few students actually stay to study for their N.E.W.T.s. Joy wishes that would be her reason, but she did not even waist one thought on her final exams (That's a lie, she did, when she needed a problem that was less hard to solve than her others).

Joy and Prim just entered the courtyard, when Sirius and James came running around the corner clearly out of breath. "Are we late?", James stumbles.

Joy and Prim exchange a glance and start laughing at the look of the boys. James with his hair messy as usual and his glasses crooked on his nose, and Sirius who was holding his left side, catching for air.

"You would say that Quidditch players have stamina", she raises an eyebrow, still laughing. But Joy's laughter calms down, admiring the fact that Sirius Black and James Potter were afraid to be too late for their trip.

"Well", Sirius puts an arm around Prim's shoulders, "the broom kinda does not make me run".

"Huh, I bet I would beat you in a run off then", Prim grins up to Sirius, who frowns.

"I'll come back to that, ight".

From mustering Sirius & Prim, who now walk past Joy in direction of Hogsmeade, Joy's gaze wanders to James. With his hands in his pockets, Joy notices that he has a good style apart from his Hogwarts uniforms. He was wearing a jeans jacket with white fur inside, a Gryffindor hoodie underneath and black jeans. "Good Morning", he grins shyly. Joy gifts him a grin. With his head nod he indicates a 'let's go' and both follow Sirius and Prim.
The snow reached to Joy's hip, but ditches were already dug by the houselves. Still, the new snow had covered most of it and so, Joy could see Prim taking out her wand to melt their way through with hot air.

„How's the jaw?", Joy looks at James who's walking next to her. He shrugs and slightly pats his hand on it, „it's not too bad, Madam Pomfrey's medicine is real good."
Joy nods, and after a few seconds she lets out a sigh. „Why did he even punch you? Out of nothing?"
For a moment, James didn't answer but eventually he shrugs his shoulders. „We had a little argument after you let us standing there, but nothing too wild", he shrugs his shoulders again. „He was probably just very impulsive the evening"
Joy watches her feet.
„Do you like the Christmas decoration?", James asks out of the blue.
Joy smirks, „actually yes, I love it"
„Good. We spent hours and hours decorating with the teachers and houseelves, real exhausting"
„Ohh right, I forgot about that, you head students have to help", she lets out a slight laugh. „I love really love Christmas".
„Yea! Me too!", James grins.
They both fall back into silence and after a while Joy let's out a sigh. Even though most of her friends and her brother are spending Christmas at Hogwarts, she wishes she could go home. Her home, in a small village in the suburbs of Edinburgh, was always covered in snow, with the smell of fireplace and Christmas cookies that she had spend the whole morning baking with her mother. They would decorate the house together, wear silly pullovers and sing carols around the Christmas tree. That was what Christmas was about for her, family.