HEAL ME | JAMES POTTER

THREE

- CHAPTER 3 -

❝On your man period Potter?❞

Hogwarts, sixth year.

FOR JAMES POTTER, studying had always been extremely hard. It wasn't because he hates studying, he had actually liked it very much. It's just that whenever he would start, his brain wouldn't allow him to focus at all.

Even though at the end of the day, he would always pass with exceeding marks, it was something that drains his energy away a bit too much.

"I think my head's going to explode."

Remus looked over at his friend with a sigh. He knew how much James had struggled with studying, so he tried to be as helpful as he can to his best mate.

"You're almost done Prongs, keep going."

The two were in the library, studying for their Potions test. No matter how busy he would be, Remus would always find the time to help his best friend out. Remus knew that it wasn't the boy's fault, it was just how his brain had worked.

"Are you guys done yet?" asked Sirius with a pout.

Remus looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't sure how the boy passed all his exams, he barely ever touched his books outside of class.

"You miss Moony already?" James said with a snort.

To James, that joke was extremely unthoughtful. However, to the two boys, it was somehow really funny.

"Prongs, lets end it here for today."

After that, the boys went to eat dinner in the great hall. At first, James had said that he didn't want to eat, and so he continued to sulk while talking to his friends. He had started getting better, slowly but surely and for that, he was very proud.

"Pass me the sauce, would you?"

When they were back at the dorms and everyone had fallen asleep, James had started to feel his stomach rumble out of hunger. At first, he was going to go to sleep without eating anything. But after a while, he had felt like his stomach was going to rip itself apart if he had waited any longer.

So, just like any other normal person would, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and headed out to the kitchens in search of something to eat. Him and the rest of the Marauders had gone to the kitchens on many different occasions, it had been like a piece of cake for him.

"Holy shit, you scared the crap out of me."

For a while, James looked at Grace with the cloak halfway down his body. And then, when it finally registered in his brain that Grace was indeed, right in front of him, he dropped the cloak and let out a relieved sigh.

"I thought i had been caught, not gonna lie."

The sight to him was quite shocking to see. Grace Valdez was sat at one of the stools, munching on a loaf of bread. Yes, a whole loaf.

For Grace Valdez, this had become the new norm. She could not handle being around her friends, so she never ate dinner. Due to that, her appetite had started to decrease day by day.

Some nights, she would just feel very hungry. Her cravings would consist of bread, and bread only.

"Are you okay?" asked James with concern.

"You're the one going through a breakup Potter, not me."

Out of all of the Hufflepuffs James had met, she had definitely been the most different. He would always hear her curse, let out snarky comments, and joke about whatever she wanted to. Most Hufflepuffs he had met were quiet and reserved.

"Well, aren't you gonna eat?"

At that point onwards, the two sat and ate their food in silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, just one that the two teenagers needed after their hectic day at school.

The both were struggling in their own ways, visibly so. And the two knew not to pester the other about it, it was an unspoken rule.

However, watching the girl look so detached from life, yet so invested in her bread, James couldn't help but want to know more about her.

"How was your day today?" he asked with an awkward smile.

"Bloody hell Potter, we've got to work on your conversation starters," she replied with a scoff.

Much to the girl's surprise, James had let out a wholehearted laugh at the words she had blurted out. Listening to his laugh, Grace couldn't help but crack out a tiny smile too.

Grace had seen the boy in Hogwarts before, he was way too loud for his own good. Looking at him, his mannerisms, his humour and his politeness, she had realised why he was so loved by all of the students and teachers at school.

James was just like that, a kind and free soul wandering their school grounds. It was upsetting too, at the same time. As much as the world saw him as the sun, James couldn't help but see himself as the moon.

When he was almost done eating, James could feel himself think about the redhead once more. Only this time, he wasn't thinking about their breakup. He was just thinking, what if I hadn't acted the way i did before?

He was starting to believe the girl's past claims. That James Potter was a stalker, a crazy man, and just an absolute maniac. It was like he was going through the five stages of grief, all at once.

"On your man period Potter?"