HEART OF GOLD ࿐ ͎⁺ ̥ James Potter

twenty-two

DIANA DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH JAMES when they met up after the train journey, his mood from when they last saw each other to when they got off the train had completely changed.

When she had ran up to the group of boys after the train journey, excited to tell them all about how the girls had reacted to her and that she finally felt as though she had made some new friends, they all seemed to be excited with her, except for James, who barely spoke one word and just walked ahead.

Diana felt deflated, she thought James would be the first one to be happy with her and talk with her, thing's had been going so well between the two of them over christmas, Diana felt as though they were best friends, they had become closer than she ever could have imagined. James always seemed to smile with her, which made her smile back, Diana felt bliss being with him and should couldn't wait to come back to school after the school holidays and act in the same way they had over christmas, but he was different, painfully so, it was as though he had walked through the gates of Hogwarts and she didn't even know him.

Unsure what to do, she questioned the other Marauders if he was okay, if anything had occurred on the train ride, but they didn't know, and it was true, James had returned to the compartment and hadn't spoken a word since, he had been miserable and no one understood why. Sirius put his arm around Diana's shoulders, comforting the girl, knowing if James continued on in his mood, her hormones would cause her upset. "Don't worry Di, he's always been a bit of a drama queen, he probably just stubbed his toe or something."

Diana just smirked at the boy, "you know, I always imagined you'd be the drama queen out of the two of you." She laughed, Sirius was good at cheering people up, he had a natural talent of making people forget what was upsetting them.

Sirius gasped, holding his hand to his heart, "you sure know how to wound a man."

The pair walked in to the great hall for the feast, Otto had caught up with his sister and her friend, Sirius had somehow managed to get Otto into a playful headlock as they walked over to the Gryffindor table, Otto laughing hysterically echoing throughout the great hall. Diana smiled to herself as she walked over to the Hufflepuff table. She hadn't sat there much anymore since becoming pregnant, she hadn't felt the need to, she knew the looks she was getting from the other Hufflepuff student, and James and the other boys decided while she could, she would sit with them, but for the start of the year feast, she felt it was necessary to sit at her own table, no matter what was said or how she was looked at, she was still proud to be a Hufflepuff.

When she looked across to the Gryffindor table, Lily and the other girls grinned and waved back. She shifted her gaze to the opposite side of the table, where the marauders and her brother were seated. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Otto were all engaged in discussion when she observed James seated there, not participating in the conversation, with one elbow on the table and his head in the palm of his hand.

Her heart ached to see him this way, he looked so out of it like his mind wasn't there, she just wished she knew what he was thinking.

-

James remained unchanged during the whole lunch, pushing food around his plate and without consuming any food at all. All he could do was replay Diana's words in his mind, wondering how he could have been so foolish as to think there would ever be more emotions there. He had remained the same since the train, so his friends assumed that after he had some meal, his attitude would improve. However, as the evening wore on, it appeared that his mood had become steadily worse.

"You would almost think that the food had killed your dog by the way you're stabbing it with your fork," Sirius said to James dryly, who sat opposite him, James just gave his best friend a death stare, as Sirius carried on eating his food.

James pointed his fork at Sirius, "This fork will be stabbing you soon if you're not careful."

"Woah, woah, hold up there Jamie boy, take the stick out your arse for a moment and just talk to us. You've been like this since the train ride, now correct me if I'm wrong but from your mood, the asking out didn't go too well." Sirius said, holding up his hands.

"I never got to the asking out part, you lot got my hopes up and it was very clear she didn't share the same feelings, just like I told you, but you refused to listen, and now I feel like shit, so thank you for that." James seethed, in a quiet voice, not wanting the girls on the row to hear.

"You're welcome," Sirius said as Remus just rolled his eyes. "And how did you find out she didn't like you, as far as we can tell she hasn't even spoken to you, she was asking what was wrong, she seemed genuinely concerned, that doesn't sound like someone who has just rejected you." He told James, and he just shook his head.

"I heard her say she didn't like me okay, she said that we were just friends, just friends having a baby, thats all we are, and now thanks to all of you telling me we would fall in love and live happily ever after, I feel like shit."

"Actually, I think you were the one who said you'd like to fall in love and live happily ever after, that was already inside your own head," Sirius said, as James just glared.

Marlene, however, who had been sitting down just from Remus, who was sitting next to Sirius, had heard the whole thing, scooted down to sit down next to Remus and Sirius, squishing them together so she could be closer to James in order to speak to him.

"Couldn't help but overhear-" She began speaking, as Sirius interrupted her.

"I'm sure you could," he muttered.

"BUT," she said glaring at Sirius, "I don't think you heard the whole conversation, maybe instead of jumping to conclusions from one sentence that you were clearly eavesdropping on, you should actually talk to the girl. Or is that something you men are incapable of doing? You're going to be a father, James, maybe actually learn to communicate with the mother of your child. Honestly, men are useless, thank God I'm not one of you, although if I was I'd be better than all of you."

"You would totally not be as good looking as me pfft-" Sirius began, as James cut him off, looking at Marlene.

"I didn't hear the rest of the conversation? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Use your brain, Potter, just go and talk to her."

James didn't know what to think, had he truly walked off too soon? Was there something there that Diana truly wanted?

Unsure of what to do, James turned to face the Hufflepuff table where Diana was chatting with a male student. James felt his heart tighten since he wasn't sure how he would react to seeing someone else, particularly a guy, talking to Diana. However, when she looked up, she turned to face James at the Gryffindor table and gave him a soft smile. All that James could do was return Diana's little smile; at that point, he had nothing else on his mind.

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