Chapter 643 - Supervision Ⅶ

Having been thrown into the seat of practically a moving carriage, James blinks utterly flabbergasted as he looks at the closed door and back at Rowan Prince. "By Helga's rear was that for, Prince?!" He sputtered in disbelief.

"Lily turned you down and she said it was awkward," Rowan matter-of-factly replied as she folded her arms over her chest causing James to snap his mouth shut. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Potter."

James leans back against the seat of the carriage and is unable to speak for the moment as he recalled the events of his date with Lily. It was not that he did not love Lily rather not the Lily that had sat across from him. Everything during their date had felt so forced, wrong, and even as to go as to say a betrayal of HIS LILY.

A part of him had been so very relieved when Lily had turned him away, while another part of him had been so very confused by the entire situation. However, another part of him was worried just the same. If he did not fall in love and marry Lily, then what about his son, Harry? What would become of his still yet unborn son?

Confused and dazed after their date, James had wandered around for most of the day until as the shadows grew longer, he finally recalled the task given to him by Dumbledore. Guilty and ashamed, he had decided to simply wait by the carriages for Rowan Prince's return. However, he had not counted on the fact that Lily would return with Prince. He really should have as Lily also was a Prefect, and Gryffindor's to boot.

Rowan Prince's voice pulls him out of his thoughts as he hears the following words, "If it is any consolation, Lily turned down Severus as well."

James blinks and stares wordlessly for a moment, before frowning. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because I promised that I would tell you when Severus confessed and you promised me the same," Rowan solemnly said. "It's understandable if you don't recall, but still I owed you that much at least." Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%E2%85%B6_51537210524101339 for visiting.

Uncertain of what to reply, James, leans back against the rocking carriage seat perplexed, before raising his eyes to her. "Why would I make such an absurd promise?" He curiously asked.

"Because you and Severus are friends," Rowan answered as she folded her arms over her chest and turned her head to the side to stare at the passing scenery from the carriage window. "And because I had asked that of you, and we were close enough once upon a time to trust in each other's words."

James' eyes widen in disbelief, but the sincerity heard in Rowan Prince's words convince him otherwise. They had truly been friends once upon a time, and VERY close ones at that. "Did I-. Did I ever like you?" He asked abruptly to his own surprise. He had not read far enough into the journals of the original James to find such indications, but he couldn't be certain of anything now.

Rowan Prince whirls her head around at stares at him with piercing midnight black, indigo colored eyes. "If you refer to friendship, then yes, but if you refer to romantic feelings, not that I was ever aware of," she replied with a wry expression.

"Forgive my words, Prince, I hope you do not find them offensive," James sincerely said. "However, such a conversation seems to be far more personal than that one of a mere and simple friendship."

Rowan Prince makes a scoffing expression and says, "Then I suppose in that case you are most obviously bent, Potter, considering how close you are to Sirius and the rest of the marauders?"

James flushes in anger at the crude remark before he comprehends exactly what it was that was being referred to. "And it was not my intention to insult you, Potter," Rowan stiffly interjects. "It is merely that we were close once."

"I've been reading my diaries," James slowly said as he carefully observed Rowan Prince from beneath his eyelashes. "There are some interesting accounts that I almost find impossible to believe. A dragon's egg, in our first year. Was that truly, true?"

A flicker of a smile appears on Rowan Prince's face illuminating her face, before vanishing. "Hagrid won the dragon egg in a poker match with a stranger," she replied with a distant gaze. "Fools, the whole lot of you, but I did not wish to see any of you in trouble nor that of Hagrid. So, I slipped the message to Professor Kettleburn, and he right took care of the dragon egg once it hatched."

"Mm, that does sound like something I would have done," James admitted with a ghost of a smile on his face. He had been wild, a daredevil in his teens-. But at his next thought, his smile fades away. He had also been cruel and most importantly arrogant. In the end, his arrogance had gotten him killed without even the knowledge of HIS LILY or even his son, Harry had lived and escaped. It would be something that he would bitterly regret to end of his dying day.

The rest of the carriage ride passes in silence until they pass the gates of Hogwarts. Rowan finally says, "For what is worth, Potter, there is no shame in being turned down. But the Potter that I knew would have not given up so easily as much as it pains me to admit."

James slowly raises his gaze to stare at Rowan Prince sitting across from him as he recalls a handwritten paragraph in the journal from the other James.

"April 23rd, 1972,

Once Norbert hatched safety, Professor Kettleburn made sure to safely take away the hatchling in the night. We didn't really get to say goodbye, but I finally went and confirmed my suspicions. And by golly, I was right! Rowan did tell Professor Kettleburn, but she didn't want us to get hurt. Well, she said that in her Slytherin sort of way, really.

Rowan's odd like that. She acts all cold, but when the going's get rough, she always shows up. I'm glad, she's one of my mates. And I'd not trade her in for all the Quidditch broomsticks in the world!"

It had been an innocent child's note, but one that had touched James's heart. And he could not help but feel himself beginning to soften towards the Slytherin sitting in front of him. It was a strange feeling, and he wanted to fight it, but at the same time, he did not. He could use a friend, one that did not remind him of the past, and frankly, he did not know what to make of that.