Potter | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 34

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans," Jenna smiled at Lily's mother on the day they were going back to Hogwarts after Christmas Break. "I had a great time."

"Well, you can visit anytime you like," said Mrs. Evans kindly, bringing Jenna into a hug.

Lily hugged her mother goodbye as well and together, her and Jenna pushed their trolleys onto platform 9 3/4.

"Alright," said Jenna brightly. "Let's go and find Marlene and Alice, shall we?"

"Oh, but I have prefect duties," said Lily sadly.

"Damn, why do I keep forgetting," Jenna huffed, shaking her head. "Well, I'll go and look for them then. See you later?"

"Of course," Lily nodded with a smile, disappearing into the prefect's compartment.

Jenna strolled along the train's corridor, glancing inside compartments quickly to see if she could find her friends in them.

But she stopped when a familiar voice said behind her, "Well, well. Look who's here."

Jenna smiled by hearing him, turning around and saying wittily, "Oh, yeah, look who's here! The owner of the biggest head in the world."

"Ouch, you hurt my feelings, sis," said James, faking a hurt expression and touching his heart in pain. "No, no. It's fine. Go ahead. Just ignore me and be rude. It's not like you haven't seen your brother in weeks."

"I swear, you and dad are so much alike, it's uncanny," Jenna chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief before going forward and bringing James into a hug.

"I missed you, J.P," James whispered with a smile, hugging her back tightly.

"Missed you too, little bro," Jenna grinned.

"For the hundredth time," said James sternly, pulling away. "I'm older than you!"

"Only eleven minutes," she shrugged.

"Best eleven minutes of my life in this world without you in it," said James with a grin and Jenna punched him on the arm playfully.

"Alright," said Jenna, chuckling. "I'll better go and find Marlene and Alice."

"Where's Lily-flower?" James asked with a grin.

"Went to the prefect's compartment," Jenna answered.

"Ah... how much I've missed her..." James sighed in a dreamy and dramatic way, and so waved at Jenna, going away to find Lily.

As Jenna had said, James surely found Lily in the prefect's compartment. At her sight, James gave his arrogant grin as he leaned against the door, folding his arms cooly.

"Hello, Evans," he said charmingly. "Missed me?"

"Not even at all," said Lily flatly, reading her book.

     Not feeling in the slightest bit let down that Lily had turned him down for the millionth time, James boasted with confidence as he kept grinning and took the free seat before her.

     "How was your Christmas?"

     "Perfect without you."

     "Ouch," James winced, but then smirked again.

      "Don't you have any other place to be, Potter?" said Lily, putting her book down for a second to look at him.

     "Not if you're not going to be there," said James, winking at her.

      "Ugh," Lily groaned, rolling her eyes.

      "You're irresistible when you're mad at me, Evans," he said. "I don't think I can take it any longer."

     But just then, as the train started on, the Head Boy and Head Girl came in with Remus behind them.

After greeting his friend, James waited outside the corridor for Remus for a few minutes until he had gotten this semester's instructions and then left with him to find their other two friends.

     After greeting Sirius, and Peter like he hadn't seen them for years, James and Remus sat down next to them.

     "So how was your holiday?" James asked, messing his hair up with his hand even more.

     "Like always," Remus shrugged with a kind smile, opening a book to read.

     "How about you, Wormtail?" James turned to Peter and said.

     "Mum made lots of Christmas candies... that part was pretty nice," said Peter.

     "Well, mine was a disaster," said Sirius grumpily.

     "Trouble at home again, Padfoot?" James asked worriedly.

      "As if it's news," Sirius scoffed. "I'm not sure if I can stand my mother anymore."

     "Well, you know Mum says you're always welcome at our house any time," said James earnestly.

     "Thanks, Prongs," he nodded wearily. "Anyway, how's your sister? Where is she?" Sirius asked out-of-the-blue, trying to sound as casual as possible.

     James didn't seem to mind and said, "At the end of the train, with her friends, I suppose."

     But Remus put his book down, gazing blankly at Sirius. "Why do you ask?" Remus mused, trying to read Sirius's expression.

     "No reason," Sirius shrugged and looked away, but not ten seconds later, he stood up and opened the compartment door.

     "Where are you going?" Remus demanded, now slightly frowning.

     "Out?" Sirius scoffed. "Why? Is it a crime to go for a walk now, Moony?"

      And with that, Sirius left and closed its door, making his way towards the end of the train.

     Nearing the last few compartments, he grinned to himself as he spotted a girl with familiar blue hair, sitting there and laughing with her friends, and opened the door to their compartment.

     "Well, hello, ladies," Sirius peaked his head inside, grinning at Alice, Marlene, and Jenna.

      "Hi, Sirius," Alice waved at him nicely, meanwhile Jenna and Marlene shared a look and rolled their eyes.

     "Hey, Alice," he smiled back at her, but then looked back at Jenna. "Did you like my Christmas present, Jenny?"

     By that, Marlene's head jerked towards Jenna, as if she had some explaining to do, yet Alice's smile just widened as she looked between Jenna and Sirius with amusement.

     "Er..." Jenna started awkwardly, trying to avoid all three of their gazes. "Actually I didn't open it."

      Sirius's smile disappeared by those words as he stared down at her. "Why not?"

     "Because I didn't want anything to jump out of it or explode in my face!" Jenna reasoned, laughing, but Sirius didn't join in and instead frowned.

      "Why would I even do that?" he asked, no hint of joking in his voice.

      "Dunno," Jenna shrugged with a grin. "So you're saying it wasn't a trick?" she raised a suspicious brow playfully at him, but Sirius was still not smiling.

     "Of course not," he shook his head lightly.

     "Oh..." Jenna said awkwardly, biting her lower lip. "Sorry... I thought you'd sent it as a prank... you know... because of the way you wrote in the letter... the box is in my trunk; I'll open it now—"

     "—Don't bother," said Sirius wearily and with that, he turned on his heels and left, feeling an unbearable pain in his chest, which he couldn't understand the reason to.