The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Puffer Fish and Salamander Toes

Puffer Fish and Salamander Toes

Maryrose was sitting at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast when suddenly a hand slipped in front of her face, holding a paper bird with flapping wings... James closed his fingers around the bird... and reopened his palm to reveal it had disappeared, leaving nothing but a puff of smoke the exact shade of pink as her hair. Maryrose laughed and turned around to look up at him. As James dropped onto the bench beside her waved his wand and the paper bird fluttered out from under her hair. She laughed again and caught it in the air before her. "How'd you do that?"

"I'll never tell," he answered.

She unravelled the folds of the bird and found he'd written her a note.

You're pretty. Let's hang out later.

She looked up at him and smiled, "You're such a prat."

"Is that a yes?" he asked, munching his toast.

"On one condition."

"Name it," he answered, sitting backwards on the bench, his elbows on the table, toast in one hand, glass of pumpkin juice in the other. Hufflepuffs all along the table were looking at him and whispering, wondering what James Potter was doing at their table acting as though he belonged there... one foot up on an empty spot on the Ravenclaw bench opposite the aisle he faced. The Ravenclaw girl closest to his trainers glanced at him and then back to the table, whispering to her friends in disbelief at James's audacity.

Maryrose ran a palm over his arm, "Well, we have to talk. It can't be just a giant snog-fest."

"Talk?"

Maryrose nodded.

"Why?" James's nose was crinkled.

"Because it's important."

"Important?"

"Mhm." She smirked at the look of confusion on his face.

"About what?"

"Anything," she answered, "About you. About me. About us."

James looked as though she were asking him to explain advanced runes. "Whatever for?"

"Have you never had a conversation before?"

"Loads. We're having one right now, for example." James smiled his most charming smile. The one he reserved just for such occasions as needing to impress people..

Maryrose wrinkled her nose, shook her head, "Not exactly, no. We're speaking, not having a conversation." She chuckled and patted his head, "You're cute you think it's a conversation, though, Potter. Conversation is getting to know each other better. And frankly if you want to keep snogging with me, then you'd better be interested in getting to know more about me."

"Alright," James said.

"And I'm interested in getting to know more about you, too, Potter."

James chewed the last of his toast.

She stared at him, waiting for an answer.

James stood up, putting his empty glass on the table. "Well, for starts, don't call me Potter," he said. "I really hate that. There's only one person on the planet that calls me that that I don't secretly cringe every single time it's said, really. I have a first name. It's James. Please call me James. Or Prongs if you feel adventurous, but I am in no way responsible for it if Sirius overhears you and makes highly inappropriate jokes as a result." He stared down at her for a moment before, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sirius, Peter, and Remus across the Hall, headed for the door for the first class of the term... "For now, I gotta go. But I'll see you later?"