Chapter Text
James~
James knew that if you were to ask anyone who had met him, except maybe his close friends, then they would tell you that James Potter was perfect, or as close as any person could be to it. That he was sunshine personified and he lit up a room instantly when he walked in. They would tell you all about his carefree nature and his chronic smile. They would tell you about how he was an optimist and could always find the light in any situation, no matter how dark it seemed.
He used to love it when people would say those things, now it makes him feel like his body is slowly filling with water, and if he were to open his mouth, the water would spill out and everyone around him would drown. So, he kept his mouth shut. He distracted himself with whatever he could, just so he wouldn't have time to address the incoming tsunami that was James Potter's thoughts.
Fortunately, there were still some moments where James feels able to breathe and he stores those memories in the most secure vault in his head. Most of the time it's when he's with his friends. He hasn't known them long, only meeting in their first week of uni about a year ago, but he feels so complete around them. Like they are all a separate piece of a beautiful and perfect puzzle. Even if some pieces have corners that have been chipped away, or whole sections missing, someone else in the group would find a way to fill the empty space.
In the best twist of fate, James met Barty Crouch Jr on the day he moved in and he immediately knew that they would be close, he could just sense that they would be able to understand one and other. If James had to put it into words, he would say that him and Barty were like the same text in a different font. Basically they just got each other, not just knowing what the other was feeling, but also knowing what they needed the most at any given moment.
-
"Fuck you, stop calling!" James had overheard Barty shouting, somehow managing to do it in a weirdly calm tone, before hanging up his phone and throwing it onto their new dining table with a loud THUD.
It was the day they were both moving in and James had been a nervous wreck for weeks about meeting his roommate for the year. What if Barty didn't like him? What if James was too much, too intense, to live with someone else?
"You okay?" James had asked, gently, while placing an awkward, but hopefully comforting, hand on his new roommate's shoulder.
Unfortunately, James knew all too well what it was like to lose his temper. He knew how it felt when you can feel every emotion threating to spill, but being completely and utterly helpless to stop it.
"Do you ever feel so consumed with anger towards something or somebody, but you have no reason at all, so you try your hardest to keep the feeling down, but that take up all your energy so you just snap?" Barty replied, while moving to lie down on their kitchen floor.
"Yeah," James offered, with a small smile before joining Barty on the floor, "I know what you mean more than I am willing to admit."
-
From that moment on, they were attached at the hip. They both acted as if they had known each other for their whole lives, because for them it was like they had.
No matter what, they were there for each other. Whether it was James being so hyper that nobody else wanted to 'deal with him', or if it was Barty needing James to sit with him after a phone call with his 'father'.
The rest of the group all met in quite an uneventful way. At a party a few days later, after what James would say was far too many drinks. Because of this, the group can only collectively remember about half of the night, but they all found that endlessly humorous. A few people already knew each other (like James and Barty), but even for those who didn't, spending time together just felt right.
-
Now it was the start of their second year, and James was sat in his and Barty's new apartment off campus, with all of their friends. It was calm, and for the first time in what felt like forever, James could feel the crashing waves, that were usually so loud and violent that he couldn't think, had gradually started to dull down.
But, James knew better than most people that this feeling wouldn't last and that they would inevitably start acting up again. He knew better than most, that the higher you felt, the worse the low would be when it finally came crashing down- not caring if it pulls you so far that you fall off the face of the earth. Every time it had happened, James thought that he had made it the deepest he could go, but there was always another time and it was always worse.
Now, however, he was trying his hardest to push that all those negative and unpleasant thoughts to the back of his fucked up head for just a second and concentrate on what his friends were saying. Trying desperately to live in the moment while he felt half decent for once in his sorry excuse of a life.
"So... he should get here at about lunch tomorrow!" Sirius told the group, excitedly, although admittedly James had no idea who he was talking about.
"Yay!" Marlene replied, in mock enthusiasm, "You've talked about your brother so much, that I feel like I already know him." She and Sirius were always like that with each other, mean and sarcastic. But, they both knew it was all light-hearted and intended as a joke.
"Oh, fuck off," Sirius countered, flipping her off as he got up to get more drinks.
Ahh, so it's Sirius' brother they're talking about. James had heard a lot about Regulus Black and he had spoken to him a few times too, while Sirius was on the phone. But they'd never met in person. Sirius was really excited about his younger brother coming to the same uni as him and his friends, at least James would assume so after how much he had been speaking about it.
James doesn't know much about the Black brother's childhood, but he does know that it wasn't, in any abstract form, good. He'd also been told one night while Sirius was so drunk that James was surprised he could still stand, that they were removed from their home a few times 'for safety' (as Sirius had put it). So, James could understand why he was happy that his brother was leaving.
Regulus~
Standing outside of his brothers new apartment, that he'd bought with his boyfriend (Remus), Regulus was extremely nervous. Like, so anxious that he thinks he was visibly shaking. He had spoken to his brother in the year they'd been apart, of course, but they hadn't spent time together in person. Regulus had begged Sirius, every break that he got off school, to come back home. To come see him again. To help him. But every time he didn't come.
He'd tell Regulus, "I don't know Reggie, I'll try." And then he would message about a week later that something came up and he wouldn't be able to make it.
Taking a deep breath to ground himself, Regulus walked towards the door and knocked.
"One second!" Regulus heard someone shout from inside, followed by rattling.
When the door swung open though, Regulus wasn't greeted by his idiotic brother, but another boy that he only partially recognised, though even Regulus couldn't deny that the strange boy was so beautiful that he found it difficult to look away.
"Sorry, does Sirius Black live here?" Regulus inquired, unsure of what else he was supposed to do. He internally cringed at how proper he sounded.
"Oh, yeah he does but he's just gone out for a few minutes. Is there anything that I could help with?" the strangely familiar face replied, with a cheerful tone, but he had this abstract type of emptiness about him, only noticeable in his eyes.
After hearing that, Regulus silently began cursing his brother for going out. Once he was finish with that, he begins trying to decide what he was supposed to do now. Should he go back and wait in the car? Should he just leave and come back later? Why couldn't he have just drove up with Pandora?
A voice, then cuts through his thoughts. Like it was snapping him out of a trance.
"You're Regulus, right? It's nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you, probably too much considering we haven't even met before this! Sorry I'm rambling."
He looked up at the person standing in the doorway with a very confused expression. Who was this guy? And how did he know who he was? Was it Sirius' boyfriend? Regulus didn't think so.
The man must have noticed this, because he quickly back tracks. "I'm James, Sirius' friend."
Regulus just nodded, feeling himself get more awkward every second and just wanting to turn around and drive off. He had heard Sirius talk about James on several occasions, and from what he had said, James sounded a bit too energetic for Regulus, but nice enough.
"Do you want to come wait for him inside? I could make tea or something?" James offered, kindly, moving out of the doorway to allow Regulus to come inside.
After a few moments of consideration, Regulus reluctantly agreed and the two of them sat in Sirius and Remus' kitchen while chatting and drinking. They didn't talk about much, just light small talk - the weather, Regulus' drive from London etc. He would never admit it, but Regulus felt safe in James' (a virtual strangers') company. From what Regulus could gather, James seemed like he was someone who would never hurt anyone (at least not intentionally) and someone who was always there for people when they needed him. He seemed, in every sense of the word, perfect. Regulus almost found it comical how easy it was for him to read this man, they'd spoken for no more than 20 minutes and already Regulus felt like he could tell you anything about this man.
Marlene~
Ever since she could remember, Marlene has loved football. Well, any sport really, but football specifically. She loved the idea of being in a team, she valued the support system- especially since James, Evan and Barty are on her team. It had always given her a chance to get away from all of the thoughts that bounce around her brain.
Recently, the majority of her thoughts where about one specific thing. Or one specific person. Dorcas Meadowes.
She had been one of Marlene's closest friends ever since the two of them met. She played basketball for the school team and she managed to somehow always be both mean and unbelievably nice at the same time. To Marlene, Dorcas was everything she'd ever wanted.
In case you couldn't tell, Marlene liked her. Actually she was pretty sure she was fully blown in love with her. Which was a massive fucking problem considering the fact that Marlene and Dorcas would be living together this year (along with Lily), and the fact that Dorcas was the epitome of straight.
-
Sweaty and tired, Marlene was walking out of the changing rooms following one of her, many, football practices. It had actually gone quite well, James was fully focused on the game, but Barty and Evan spent most of the match trying to figure out how they could sneak off to make out. They had been dating for just over a month and Marlene thought they were adorable. Though they would kill her if they heard her say that.
"How'd it go?" someone asked, putter their arm around Marlene's shoulders.
She recognised them instantly. Dorcas.
"A wee bit intense, but it was alright," Marlene answered, trying to supress the grin that was forming on her face, which was proving rather difficult especially since her heart was going at a dangerous pace.
"A wee bit," Dorcas mocked light-heartedly, chuckling softly. And it was the most beautiful sound Marlene had ever heard.
She did that a lot, along with the other people in their friend group. Mock Marlene's accent that was. Which she really didn't mind, but she did think it was quite stupid considering they all went to uni in Scotland.
"Oh, piss off," she laughed in response.
They spent the rest of the walk to their new apartment in comfortable silence, speaking up only to point out little things around them. It was nice and Marlene forgot, for just a second, that Dorcas wasn't hers. That she couldn't be.