𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒, james potter

05. most pathetic thing i've ever seen

October 24, 1974

"OKAY, NO. LOOK. How would that even work? We have to use a cross-species switch."

Nesrin looked at James meaningfully, pointing her piece of parchment at him as they sat beside one another in Transfiguration.

"No," James explained with a sigh. "We don't have to because the regular spell will work to transform the hamster. We don't have to modify it."

"But why not? Which regular spell would we even use then? Because one of them would turn the hamster pink and another would just kill it. So—"

Nesrin immediately stopped speaking when she noticed that James's attention wasn't even on her anymore. Instead, he was staring at a certain redhead walking into the class and past him. Nesrin rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath. All she wanted was to get this stupid assignment done already. Was it too much to ask for James to focus for one second?

Nesrin wanted to gag at the way James looked at Lily with heart eyes. Literal heart eyes. It was disgusting. She couldn't even begin to imagine liking someone to that extent. It made her feel weird.

"Evans," James grinned at Lily as she neared his desk. "Roses are red. Violets are blue. I didn't know what perfect was until I met you!"

Nesrin bit her lip to hold back the laughter at his pitiful enthusiasm. It was extremely difficult given James's gleeful expression as he stared at Lily.

The redhead, however, just rolled her eyes and said, "Give it up already, Potter."

"Never, Lily-Flower!"

Lily just walked back to her seat without saying anything more, and James watched her until she was sitting down. He turned back to stare in front of him with a dreamy look on his face.

Nesrin snorted, "That has got to be the most pathetic thing I've ever seen in my life."

James turned his head to glare at her. "Oh yeah, I'd like to see you do any better."

"If I really wanted, I would have already snagged a date with Evans by now. Something you seem to have trouble doing. For, let's see, the past two and a half years?"

Scoffing, James rolled his eyes and looked back at the assignment in front of him. "Whatever," he mumbled under his breath. "I'll win her over if it's the last thing I do."

At this, Nesrin burst out laughing. James narrowed his eyes at her, but she couldn't cease her giggles. Leaning forward, she patted his shoulder in mock comfort.

"I hate to break it to you, mate, but she really hates your guts. You have a better chance at winning over McGonagall than Lily."

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want now. You won't be laughing when I actually get Lily to go out with me."

It was now Nesrin's turn to roll her eyes. "Dream all you want, Romeo. Sometimes it's healthy to have far-fetched dreams."

"I hate you."

Nesrin beamed at him. "You read my mind. Now help with this dumb problem already. I'm getting wrinkles watching you flirt with Evans all day."

He suddenly grinned. "Oh, really? Maybe you're just jealous?"

The scoff that came out of Nesrin's mouth right then was one that couldn't be helped.

"Even if I did like Lily, there would be nothing to be jealous over. She's not going to go out with you. End of story."

James's eyes narrowed and he let out an aggravated grunt. "I wasn't even—I was talking about you being jealous over me."

Nesrin raised her eyebrows and let out a snort so loud she was surprised Professor McGonagall hadn't turned around to stare at her.

"Are you joking or...?"

He shot her a deadpan expression.

She gave him a sarcastic smile. "The day I fall for you is the day hell freezes the fuck over. Never gonna happen."

James rolled his eyes, but the smile was still on his face. "You say that now...but I don't know. I am extremely charming."

"If you mean extremely obnoxious, sure."

"Extremely gorgeous."

"Extremely average-looking."

He raised an eyebrow. "Getting somewhere."

Shooting him a glare, she turned back to her classwork. "Getting nowhere, Potter."

He chuckled under his breath and turned back to his own work.

Scoffing a little to herself, Nesrin's mouth tugged up in a mocking smile.

As if she'd ever fall for someone like James Potter.