Prepping Ⅴ

Leading the way, the two of them stride down the hall across the rich carpet. For a moment, James feels all breath leaves his lungs as he sees Lily. She looked simply breathtaking in her ballgown as she shyly gazed up at Severus with a rosy blush on her face and hearts in her eyes. No, HIS LILY would have never worn anything so fancy and would have disregarded the practices of purebloods with a snort. No, this wasn't his Lily, and that still hurt as much as all the previous times before.

The gentle squeezing of his forearm by Rowan pulls James back to the present. He breathes deeply for a moment, before pulling himself together. He wishes that he didn't react so emotionally each time he faced Lily, but he couldn't help himself. Every time, he saw Lily, she only served to constantly remind him of HIS LILY and all that he had lost. The painfully healing wound in his chest is unwittingly reopened again never able to heal nor much less scar.

Another gentle squeeze around his forearm reminds James that he is not alone. He weakly smiles at Rowan, before taking another breath and closing his features off. He had been caught off guard, but he was ready now. With a collected expression, he approaches Lily and Severus.

Before they approach them, James is startled to see an almost recognizable figure step forward between them. With light-colored hair and pale eyes, the thin, tall figure of Petunia Evans can be seen in an elegant ballroom gown. It wasn't the fact that she was present that so greatly astonished him, but rather that there was no sneer nor disdain on Petunia's face. Petunia had always disdained magic including Lily and him including calling her own sister a freak.

"Petunia?" James blurted out loud in disbelief.

Petunia arches her brow at the youth escorting Rowan. "And who, might you be?"

James is uncertain of what to say until Rowan says, "This is the infamous James Potter."

Petunia blinks in surprise and carefully eyes Rowan's escort. "So, this is the famous James Potter that I've heard much about you from Lily and Rowan. Mm, you're much shorter than I thought you would be." For James Potter was nearly a full head shorter than Rowan.

Rowan snorts at seeing James choke at Petunia's words. "Yes, well, I happen to be taller than most boys our age. Though I must admit, it certainly helped that I ate all my vegetables and fruits. Frankly, I'm surprised Sirius is as tall as he is considering that he and James mostly lived off pumpkin juice and an array of sweets and similar unhealthy foods during most of the school year."

Petunia smirks causing James to flush a bit with embarrassment. He couldn't deny the truth of the statement as he had in fact in his youth eaten rather unhealthily. It was something that he lamented now, but there wasn't really anything he could do. Besides he wasn't done growing yet, he still had time!

Before James can defend himself, Petunia turns to Rowan and says, "Row, I have yet to compliment you, but you look beautiful."

"There is no need for such flattery, Petunia," Rowan drily retorted. "We both know that my sharp features, height, and slenderness are not exactly great qualities for a great beauty."

"Simply because you are not built with a curved hourglass figure nor possess the soft features of girls like Lily that does not mean you are not beautiful or any less captivating, Row," Petunia firmly replied causing the tips of Rowan's ears to turn a brighter shade of pink. "There are all types of beauties in this world, Rowan, and though Lily is just lovely like the flower she was named after, you have all the beauty of a wild rose, fierce, and deadly, but breathtaking and majestic all the same."

Rowan coughs loudly to hide her embarrassment and abruptly changes the subject. "And where is Andrew, I do not see him?" She curiously asked as she glanced around having spotted his parents further down the corridor.

"He had to visit the boy's room," Petunia honestly replied, before turning to James. "And what say you, James, is Rowan not lovely tonight?" Seeing James remain silent, she impatiently snaps, "Come on, speak up, or does the kneazle have your tongue?" She smugly smiled having learned the wizard equivalent of the phrase 'cat got your tongue."

James's lips twitch for a moment, before he drily says, "I was under the impression its proper manners not to interrupt when two young ladies are conversing." He paused to glance at Rowan for a moment, before composing his thoughts. "Rowan is certainly not a great beauty like Bethanie Fawley nor Tiffany Topsey, but there is something that naturally draws the eye, a wonderous beauty, and attractiveness that is no less breathtaking."

A blank look appears on Rowan's appears on her face showing that she is stunned at James' abrupt praise. The tips of her ears turn a bright shade of pink, while her face carefully returns to a poker face. Uncertain of what to say at that moment, Rowan eyes Petunia pointedly in an accusing fashion. A satisfied expression on Petunia's face as she gave James Potter a secretive assessing but approving look.

Wanting to break the awkwardness of the situation, James inquisitively asks, "If I may ask, why do you call, Rowan, Row, Petunia?"

"Well, only I have the distinct privilege to call Rowan, Row," Petunia proudly answered with a smug tilt of her head. "We became friends some years ago, and frankly, I always liked Rowan over Severus and Rowan rather liked me over Lily. Mind you we don't always see eye to eye, but that's what friends are for."

Seeing James questing look, Rowan tilts her head at James and shrugs. "As much as I like Lily," she paused with a dry expression, "she and Severus can get rather overexcited at times. Frankly, it is annoying, and I rather much prefer Petunia's levelheadedness to Lily's overly enthusiasm and optimism. It is simply exhausting to be around such positivity at times."

"Ug," Petunia rolled her eyes, "I know, right! Sometimes, Lily will only go on about how great the world is, and I have the urge to drown her in the bathtub or wrap the telephone cord around her neck!"

Rowan completely nods her head in complete agreement. Lily could be a bit much at times just like Severus could be overly cynical. There was a reason those two were perfect for each other. They could only serve to balance each other's character.

James finds he can't exactly negate neither statement's before he can think of something to defend Lily, loud hurried footsteps are heard. He turns his head to see the Hufflepuff male Prefect, Andrew Abbott hurrying over. He is nicely dressed while his silky blond hair is combed back, Andrew's face grows foolish at spotting Petunia Evans.

"You look just as beautiful and glorious as the sunrise, Pet," Andrew sincerely said with a lopsided grin.

"Oh you," Petunia flushed in delight and embarrassment at the public display of affection.

"Excuse us," Andrew said as the two withdraw hand in hand to a corner of the hall to murmur silly nothings to each other.

James's mouth flops open at seeing the lovestruck couple walking away hand in hand. He turns to look at Rowan who has a fond look on her face with her lips twitching into a rueful smile. Rowan's midnight indigo, black eyes blink, before she arches her brow at him as if say, "What?"

"Are those two courting? I can't imagine-," James blurted out in shock. "I mean, how did they meet? I thought that Petunia hated magic?!"

"Petunia never hated magic," Rowan clarified with a slight frown, "she just disliked the fact that she felt alienated from Lily. And yes, she was jealous and envious to a certain degree because she felt that she was being excluded and sidelined by her family. After openly talking about the subject of magic, Petunia found that she could still feel part of our world. She especially no longer feels jealous after seeing the social class, gender, and other inequality issues that still alive and present in wizarding society."

For a moment, James felt he had been slapped in the face. The blood vanishes from his face as he thinks of his first encounter with Petunia and her then muggle husband, Vernon Dursley. Vernon had been a big, beefy man with a large purple face. He had thick, dark hair, a bush black mustache with hardly any neck, and mean little eyes that narrowed to slits when angry.

At that time, Vernon had naively asked James what car he drove, and James had truthfully described his racing broom. Vernon had been furious at begin patronized and murmured that wizard must then live on unemployment benefits. Irked by the muggle, James had confidently retorted that he possessed a fortune of solid gold. Vernon had stormed out angry with Petunia running after him. Lily had watched on with exasperation and disappointment, but James had not felt a hint of remorse. No, he had not, not then or later really.

Yet now that same memory stuns James' face like a painful slap. He recognized that he could have handled the entire situation much better. He didn't have been so callous nor arrogant. Because he had been arrogant at that time, there was no doubt that he excluded that air. He did not need a MERE muggle to decide if he was worthy of respect. Yet it had never been about him rather about making peace between Lily and her older sister, Petunia. And he'd failed abysmally in recognizing that fact. Things were never right between Petunia and Lily after that, nor would they ever be.

James closes his eyes to keep the feeling of pain, guilt, and shame at bay, before feeling the gentle squeezing on his forearm pulling him back. "James if you are not feeling well, you need not attend. I am certain that I can find another primary escort, if not, well, Andrew can do in a pinch."

For a moment, James is sincerely ready to accept Rowan's offer, before he recalled his recent promise to himself as not to fail Rowan nor his duties. He had made a deal with Georgine Prince and he had his side to uphold. Opening his eyes, he quietly replies, "No, I promised to be your primary escort, and I'm about to quit now."

"Foolish Gryffindor," Rowan softly said without any harsh emotion.

"Well, that is nothing but the truth," James bitterly sighed.

Rowan's lips press into a slight frown at James's self-putting-down remark. "Come," she said gently tugging him forward. "We best join them lest they think we want time to ourselves," she grimaced.

"No, we wouldn't want that," James lightly said in tease, before leading the way. He had failed to notice that he felt lighter after speaking to Rowan. It was a subconscious reflex, but one that was no longer just in his body but in his head.