Cottage Roads ° james potter

-xxii. a broken girl & a werewolf

❛ Take me home ❜

The school week started up once more. After the Hogsmead trip, however, Claire did feel closer to her mother but now it felt like she was missing something. Like she could've had something great but it was snatched away too quickly.

So, with the new week brought new opportunities, right? Something good was bound to happen. Unfortunately, she had potions first class so this wouldn't really work out too well.

She got dressed normally and when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled contently. She looked normal. She grabbed her bag and due to her sleeping in, she missed breakfast and rushed towards the potions classroom.

The halls were rather empty as Claire walked through them. She embraced the incoming sun rays and late winter air greedily. The classroom came into view and she braced herself. She honestly didn't know why she stressed so much. She had been in potions all of last week. Nothing had happened then. Why did she think something was going to happen now?

She walked through the open door and let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in. James hadn't arrived yet. She still had time to settle in without the awkward tension. So, she made her way towards the desk she shared with him and sat down.

After preparing her workspace with her books and quill she engaged herself in page ten of Advanced Potions Making. She read the instructions as a distraction and it seemed to have worked considering she didn't even notice the approaching footsteps.

She continued to read with furrowed eyebrows but looked up when the figure sat down and brushed her elbow. Her eyes flickered from the pages and onto the arm only inches away from her. She looked back at the book and ignored the thumping in her chest.

He has Lily now, remember? Claire told herself.

Slughorn then walked into the class, greeting the students happily. Today's lesson was on antidotes so the class would have to take notes for the next hour. Claire tried following along to what the professor was saying but everything went in one ear and out the other.

"Claire, are you with me?" Slughorn asked, noticing her lack of attention.

"Hm- yes yes I am," Claire rambled, earning a few snickers from her peers. She shifted in her seat and continued pretending to listen. From next to her, James cleared his throat quietly. She ignored him until she felt something tap her foot.

She glanced at him with a frown. "Are you alright?" he asked. That was the first thing he had said to her in weeks. She nodded uncomfortably and averted her eyes back to the lesson.