- Eternal Curse -

0.3 Chapter Forty

Forty

"Annie?!" His voice drawled as he trudged through the thickly layered morning snow. The un-gritted streets were usually quiet in that area but were especially quiet at that time in the morning as all the children were likely still begging their parents to go out with theirs sledges, promising to remember to wear a hat and scarf. Luckily for James the snow fall had meant Annie wasn't hard to track as her footsteps were traced out ahead of him like a map, a very long one at that. "Godric Ann, how quickly do you walk?" A grumble left his lips and he shoved his icy fingertips into the lined pockets of his coat.

Eventually the footsteps came to a stop at a gate leading to children's play park. He looked up and saw her sitting on a frosty swing, her coat pulled up to her ears in an attempt to receive some warmth. James swung open the gate and headed over her way.

"You know when people see a grown woman sitting on a swing alone in a play park at ten o'clock in the morning it usually is a cause for concern." He collapsed onto the swing to her right trying to get a look at her face.

"I'm hardly grown." She huffed.

"You get what I mean." He rolled his eyes and stared out into the spacious field ahead, carpeted in a mixture of slush and powdered snow as the winter sun began to make an entrance from behind the muggy clouds.

"Well now there's two 'grown ups' sitting on the swings in a play park at ten o'clock in the morning, is that more or less of a cause for concern." A suppressed grin spread across her face.

"Oh definitely less, they have each other now so it makes it less sad, or it's now more of a drug dealing situation." Annie raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know that the Potters lived in such a sketchy neighbourhood, should I feel unsafe?"

"Never, you know what they say, when danger is near, James Potter is here." She cringed from under her coat and laughed. James' eyes widened as he sat up straighter, coming to a realisation."Hey you've tricked me with lighthearted banter! I didn't march through the snow for you to dodge the reason that you came out here in the first place." Annie's smile dropped as she turned her attention back to her feet.

"Just Sirius being a prick, i'm ok, promise."

"When is he not being a prick? I'm pretty sure that all he's capable of being! What did he say to you?" She sighed again and shook her head. There was an odd, lingering silence until James decided to speak. "Well whatever he said he looked pretty damn sorry about it."

"He should be! Accusing me of just being good for a shag... twat."

"He accused you of just being good for a sh- What?! Did you two..?"

Annie's face turned a deep scarlet, her eyes growing panicked. "Oh no, oh my god, no! He was talking about Remus, not himself, I hope. He was just making things up and getting a rise out of me and it really wound me up that's all." James let out a relieved exhale.

"Well then he definitely deserved the title of twat. Come on let's just go back, please? Number one i'm sure he's feeling guilty enough he'll let you give him a good clip around the ear, if my Mum hasn't already, and number two i'm absolutely freezing my bollocks off over here." He got up off the swing and raised his hand for her to take.

"Way to much information about your bollocks, Prongs but alright then, take me home so I can give him a good clip around the ear." At that James beamed brightly, taking her frozen palm that for a worrying moment she thought was fused to the bars.

"That is most definitely the spirit, my dear!"

Returning back in their previous footsteps, footsteps that were slightly dusted over with a new layer of snow that in time would cover any proof of their impromptu outing. The walk back to the house was just as quiet as it had been going out, yet the pace was much more bearable. One thing that James could not bare however was the uncomfortable hush that had formed over the two. He knew Annie was still was upset. She was always babbling about something, finding anything around her to point out and laugh about but this time she just stared blankly at the ground. He couldn't stand it much longer and felt compelled to say something at least remotely affirming.

"Sirius found out about your little uh- crush? Yeah, from a few years ago." It came out blunter than he had hoped he recoiled from his stupidity as the pace of which she was walking at faltered ever so slightly.

"Oh.. oh?"

"I think that might be why he's being so, y'know, mental?" A nervous chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop himself. "You know what he's like, it takes him at least a year to process the simplest-"

"Who told him?" Now a lump was in his throat.

"Promise not to be mad?" Finally her eyes met his. They were strained and filled to the brim with displeasure.

"So i'm guessing it was you? I didn't even know you knew." Annie withdrew into the collar of her coat, a spattering of red forming across her cheeks.

"We kind of assumed, i'm not going to say it was obvious but.."

"But it was obvious?"

"Yeah."

"Oh that's just perfect." A pause. "Hold on, did you say we?! Meaning that uh- Remus knows?" James nodded and the blush on her face worsened as she groaned. "Oh Helga help me, I can't believe this!"

"I mean if it makes you feel better I can't think of anyone who hasn't fancied him, I won't lie i've even thought about it myself." James grinned in response to the pained face on her face.

"That most definitely does not help, Prongs. It' all making sense now. He's acting like he did when he found out David Bowie was a muggle and not a wizard after we told him he was as a joke! How on earth am I going to fix this?!"

He shook his head disapprovingly, "Don't mention the dark age Annie, i've never seen a man in more denial than those five months." This got a small disgruntled laugh out of her before he then threw an arm around her shoulder comfortingly before she retracted back with a sigh into his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ann. Nothing a slow explanation to him won't fix, you'll be alright, just gotta spell it out for him, right?"

"I just don't want things to be awkward, he's my best friend." A muffled voice echoed from against his coat.

"I can't think of anything that would stop Sirius from being your friend. He's pretty dedicated."

"Promise?" Annie peaked up at him, voice clearer now.

"Promise."