THE DOE AND STAG , james potter

four

chapter four
(distracted)

Professor McGonagall yelled, "James Potter!" upon noticing the youth with an evident lack of focus—James visibly flinched upon hearing the robust voice that almost shattered his ears—and before he had time to showcase his annoyance over his ear canal being violated, he swiftly connected his lips as his realisation was triggered—his senses had returned and he recognised that the person responsible for shattering his eardrum was none other than Professor McGonagall.

James coughed, while creating a feeble grin, in an effort to display that he was indeed heeding the lesson, although his prior zoning out had led to his lack of response, and his professor did not hesitate in providing him with a display of disapproval, as she returned to continuing her explanation of the content.

"You okay there James?"

While seated adjacent to James, Doe gently tapped him with her elbow, which made him glance at her, although he only mustered a nod in response to her inquiry concerning his condition. As he did so, his head was flooded with queries pertaining to his female friend.

Inside his mind, he was questioning the following:

"Why was Doe's fragrance lingering on Sirius?"

"Did Sirius realise that Doe harboured a fear of potions?"

"Were Doe and Sirius... trying to conceal something from him?"

Initially, his concerns mainly involved the fragrance, but then, after the occurrence in question, he came to realise that he had been oblivious to a significant alteration—the fact that his female companion and Sirius seemed significantly dissimilar. He knew that she was not particularly close to Remus, Peter and Sirius—but was, instead, more close to Lily—all the while, he was unaware of the intensity of the difference.

With regard to her affiliation with them, its extent was restricted to an acquaintance-type relationship, despite quite a bit of time having passed, as she did not dedicate any effort toward establishing a closer connection to either of them—principally Sirius—after he accompanied in harassing Severus. Nonetheless, he was appreciative of her persisting with considering him as a trusted companion, although he understood that she was not afraid to provide him with honest opinions about the ways in which he had engaged in tormenting Severus—considering the fact that they had formerly known one another for an extended timeframe.

In spite of the fact that Doe's bond with Lily concluded due to the latter's Slytherin affiliation, she did not exert herself in order to invest in a more meaningful relationship with any of his three best mates, even after the duration of time that had elapsed.

James  trailed behind his longtime close friend as they walked to the Great Hall. Normally, he would be alongside her, but owing to his preoccupation, his pace was lagging. Luckily for him, Doe was concentrating on reviewing her essay for one of the advanced classes she shared in common, along with Lily and Remus.

As he gave her a lengthier look, he had not previously come to realise the magnitude in which she had blossomed. It was not exclusively associated with the development of reaching the status of woman, but she also had a special aspect surrounding her, of which he had never previously grasped—the fact that she possessed a certain type of aura, which he had not previously comprehended. It was as if some feature regarding her would simply shimmer in an alluring manner.

Did Doe always feel and look this beautiful?

He shifted his head sideward as a response to his own unexpected thoughts. He felt astonished by his consideration. Was Doe Evergreen, a person whom he only regarded as a companion, actually this attractive? He was aware of the fact that she was no longer just a youthful child that he had grown up alongside; nevertheless, upon taking a detailed observation of her, she now appeared to be a woman.

"Anyways, James, I'll be going to Hogsmeade with—" Doe suddenly ceased speaking due to noticing the absence of the his footsteps, and she swiftly pivoted her head in order to perceive James leaning against the wall, whilst he appeared distracted, which caused her to raise one of her eyebrows and move backward in proximity to him.

"James?" Doe queried, although she did not receive a response, as he remained occupied in a daze.

She deposited her essay in her bag, and soon followed the action with approaching James, although prior to reaching the latter, he startled her as he finally lifted his eyes, but he initially refrained from uttering anything, whilst the expression that filled his vision was one of hurt.

Doe approached with a degree of care, as she posed the question to the person in question—who proceeded to maintain silence— "I asked this before, but James, are you okay?"

James directed his gaze at her, where he maintained it for a few more seconds, but then, he promptly moved his eyes, while declaring," Sorry just distracted..."

Doe giggled, with the intention of brightening the circumstance, as she articulated the following suggestion," Listen I am going with Lil, to Hogsmeade this weekend, if it helps, want to join us? Or well maybe I can not show up and you two can have a little dat—

Despite the fact that he would normally have been eager to agree to the proposed deal, as was the case with any other occasion from the past up until this recent period, he seemed to feel a heavy sensation throughout his entire body as he heard the words; something about the distraction—the observation that he had experienced for the past few days—seemed to unnerve him, which had led to an alteration in his previously favourable stance toward accepting the mentioned scenario.

"Jam—"

"Sod off, Doe"

Doe endured a momentary surprise, however, she was denied the chance to vocalise anything, as James relocated himself from the wall, moving past her. She was clueless of the reason for her thoughts being disarrayed, nor did she comprehend the rationale behind acting with such a rude demeanor—even though it was not something unfamiliar to her, having carried out similar actions previously—she had been unable to fathom the reason for him behaving with such harsh treatment—moreover, his method of uttering the response was distinct from the manner in which he had previously utilized playful remarks.

While the previous occurrences appeared to be instances in which he merely engaged in playful remarks, this particular time, he displayed a clear demonstration of not desiring her presence.

The female remained motionless as she witnessed her best mate depart; not even a smidgen of utterance, no matter the level of effort that she invested, managed to exit her lips.