muggle summer // james potter

chapter seventeen

THE SUNDAY OF AUGUST 31st began and ended with the sun. As it rose to begin the day, it illuminated school children all over the world who mourned the summer that would end when the sun sank below the horizon at the end of the day, and all of the glimmering opportunities of summer would fade to black as dusk settled across their youthful worlds. For those special-gifted, shall we say-few who would be truly entering another world as summer ended, this day held much more importance. Many were thrilled to be reunited with their friends, many more were eagerly preparing to show off tricks that they had learned but had been unable-legally, at least-to practice. Some, like one Mr. James Potter, were terribly saddened at the thought of leaving behind all of the memories that the summer of 1975 had gifted to him.

When he awoke that morning, it felt to him as if the weight of the world had settled on top of him and had absolutely no intention of allowing him to move freely. He had been so thrilled to come to terms with his feelings, nearly able to forget that he would soon be leaving this town and the one person in it who had taught him to feel something so very special this summer. As he rolled out of bed, he reached over to his nightstand and admired the collection of photographs he had amassed in the last month. There were ones of Remus and Sirius and his mother and father and even ones of himself but more than that, there were so, so many photographs of Adelaide Bennett. His sleepy hazel eyes glanced across the carefully arranged mess, easily picking out the head of glistening blonde hair, before rubbing his eyes and putting on his glasses, watching the scenes come in to focus. There were pictures of Adelaide running through the museum, laughing in the kitchen with Remus, wrestling Sirius for the last candy. There were pictures of Adelaide with her head thrown back or doubled over clutching her stomach or arms extended and spinning wildly as she belted out the lyrics to whatever song had been on the radio that morning. There was picture after picture of Adelaide and as he glanced over each and every one of them he couldn't help the smile that pulled his cheeks to his eyes and threatened to split his face in two. This summer had made him happier than he had ever thought was possible. And there was only one thought in his mind, as he glanced over at the box of caramels waiting on his dresser by the door. He had to tell Adelaide.

The weight that had felt suffocating when he woke up that morning had been completely forgotten, abandoned in favor of the adrenaline that rushed through his veins and pulled him forward, racing to get dressed. He grabbed the box and nearly bolted from the house, racing to the diner that he had heard Remus, Sirius, and Adelaide speak so highly of. A quick glance out of the window confirmed that the sun was just beginning to wake, and he hoped that he would get there in time.

The neon lights seemed dimmed when his eyes fell upon them. The pale sunlight revealed cracks in the diner's carefully constructed facade, only becoming more apparent as he approached. But his attention was quickly drawn away from the changing world in front of him as he heard the sound of a tinkling bell and the glass door was pushed open. The door swung closed and in front of him stood the very girl he had been rushing to meet.

James Potter stood in front of Adelaide Bennett on Sunday, August 31st, the last day of summer, and stared. The air had been stolen from his lungs the instant his eyes met hers, and as she stepped forward to meet him, his brain raced to keep up. She broke the silence first, a simple greeting falling from her lips as they stretched into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I like you."

Both of them froze, twin masks of shock adorning their young faces. James belatedly realized that the words had sprung from his lips, and an angry red flush caught his cheeks on fire as he dissolved into incoherent splutters mixed with a healthy dose of cursing and apologizing.