𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗹𝘆, james potter

-ˋ 70

CHAPTER SEVENTY
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH TIGER PLAYS MEDIATOR

. . .

It had been almost an hour since Tiger had sent James up to his room, and sent Remus up to Sirius's. There had been no sound coming from either of them, and Peter, Sirius and Tiger had sat in front of the fire, playing exploding snap.

"Would one of you mind going to get the boys?" Euphemia leant around the door frame, rosy cheeked and smiling. "Dinner's ready." She continued.

"I'd better go." Tiger jumped up. "If neither of you want to?" She hesistated, turning towards Sirius and Peter, who instantly shook their heads.

"Moody James and moody Remus? No thanks." Peter said, and Sirius agreed with him. Tiger frowned slightly at them, before turning and walking over to the staircase, skipping the top step. 

Sirius's room was first, and Tiger knocked gently before pushing the door open. "Tiger." Remus said, rather shortly, without even turning around from where he was stood, staring out of the window in the half-light of the late March evening. 

"How did you know it was me?" Tiger asked, approaching her cousin but remaining a few paces back, unsure just how angry he still was.

"None of the boys would knock before coming in. Maybe Peter - but they'd just barge in." Remus said, his voice monotone. "What do you want?" He asked, and Tiger suddenly felt the urge to laugh, but bit her lip and kept quiet for a moment. 

"Mrs Potter says dinners ready." She managed, and Remus looked back at her, wondering why her voice sounded weird. Their eyes met and Tiger swallowed a laugh, but it didn't stop the corners of her lips turning upwards.

"Tiger, it isn't funny." Remus said, his face perfectly calm. "You almost got put in prison - you're not even seventeen yet! Imagine how your parents would react - imagine how my parents would react." He continued.

"Ok but it was fun, Rem. It's like getting in trouble at school. Euphemia picking us up from the police station was like you, Sirius and Peter waiting for me and James outside of detention." Tiger shrugged. 

"No it really isn't." Remus looked rather shocked at Tiger's take on things. But the girl didn't give him chance to argue any further, laughing and making her way out of the room.

"It's dinner, don't be rude and go sit down. I'm sure Euphemia and Fleamont will be pleased to see you." She called, and Remus felt a pang of guilt he was sure that Tiger intended to create - he hadn't even said hello to the Potter parents. 

As Remus made his way back downstairs, Tiger appeared at the room she had slept in so many times, knocking briefly before pushing the slightly ajar door open, just like she had done with Remus. 

James was sat on his bed, already staring up at the door, pouting slightly. He looked like he had been waiting there a while, and looked rather sad when Tiger stared down at him wordlessly, the formation of a frown on her face.

"Tigs." He whined slightly, holding out his arms. Silently, Tiger stepped into the space between them, remaining quiet as James wrapped his arms around her waist, head resting on her stomach. 

She let out a squeak as James pulled her down onto the bed, still hugging her rather tightly. "You're not mad at me, are you?" He asked, and smiled when Tiger shook her head. 

"You did better than I expected you would. I thought you would get a bit angrier, but you did good. Now you need to apologise to Remus - or accept his when he apologises, which I expect he will do soon." Tiger told James, who didn't say anything, but pulled her up on top of him, kissing her. 

Things progressed, and as James's hands slipped passed the hem line of Tiger's skirt, she sat up, staring down at her boyfriend. "I didn't come up here to make out - although that wasn't entirely bad." She said, and James smirked slightly, a hand on Tiger's thigh as he used his thumb to wipe the corner of his lip. 

"So what did you come up here for, huh?" He asked, thumb tracing tickling circles on Tiger's thigh. The girl squirmed slightly and James swallowed, looking up at her as she caught her breath.

"Your mum says dinners ready." Tiger said, getting off of James, giggling as the boy choked.

"Way to ruin the mood, Twigs." He said, sitting up and watching as the girl use the mirror in the corner of the room to adjust her skirt and top, combing her fingers through her hair. 

"Rather ruin the mood than have our friends - or worse your parents - walk in on us doing things they certainly wouldn't approve of." Tiger walked over to the door, hand on the door knob, glancing back at James. "I'll tell your parents you just needed to go to the bathroom.. leave you to deal with your problem..." Tiger winked at the boy, before leaving the room, leacving James slightly hot and flustered.

"You caused it." He yelled after her, not hearing anything other than a giggle from Tiger, who returned to the group without much else to say, but Sirius pointing out the smear of lip gloss in the corner of her lip quietly. 

James joined them not too long afterwards, glancing across the table at Tiger, pretending not to notice as she winked at him, only smirking. Hopefully, he and Remus would make up soon, because the slight awkwardness at the dinner table wasn't something he wanted at his birthday. 

And what a birthday it would turn out to be.

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