pure ; james potter [marauders era]

t w e n t y - t w o [part one] ;

[ January 15th, 1977 ]

"Are you ready?" Octavia asked as her and James made their way to the locker room. It was only fifteen minutes until the Slytherin vs Gryffindor grand final and James had been practising all morning.

James walked a bit slower than her, his nerves finally started to bubble in his stomach. "Honesty, I don't know. I guess I have to be, right?"

They made it to the locker room, where the Gryffindor team were standing in a circle, waiting for James. She stood on her tip-toes and placed her lips near his ear, "You'll do amazing, you always do."

He nodded assuringly to himself, before throwing his charming smile at her. Her heart melted and James noticed a stand or two of her hair turn a light pink. This confused him, but he knew what it meant. He smiled even wider, before turning to his team and giving his usual pep-talk.

Octavia stood with Remus and Peter, who also noticed her hair and didn't decide on saying anything. Remus knew what he had to do, and he was planning on doing it tonight.

Octavia didn't notice that James had finished his speech until the team ran out screaming, with James and Sirius trailing behind them. Right before they made their way onto the field Octavia grabbed James' arm and pulled him back, planting a strong but sweet kiss on his cheeks.

The boys eyes them, but Octavia just shrugged, "For good luck."

James walked away with a sense of pride, excited to win the game. Before anyone was ready, the whistle blew and the game was on. It was so fast that no one could even tell what was happening. It was clear to see that both Slytherin and Gryffindor had prepared so hard for this. 

Someone's hands found their way to Octavia's waist, causing her to jump and break eye contact with James' broom. She looked to her side to see Regulus, who was wearing a small smirk. "My brother isn't too bad, is he?"

"He's amazing." Remus said, with a hint of envy. But then again, so was Octavia and Peter - who wouldn't want the skills and ability of James and Sirius?

A Slytherin in his fifth year came close to Sirius and gave him a solid shove straight into a bludger, which successfully knocked him off his broom and to the ground. The crowd started booing, and the Marauders were almost about to break their hands at the grip they had on the railing in front of them.

"Foul! That's surely a foul!" Regulus screamed, earning some horrible looks from the Slytherins around him. He blushed horribly and looked down, not noticing his brother get back on his broom and keep going.

Out of the corner of her eye, Octavia noticed James dive, spotting the snitch. The game was currently 90-60, with Slytherin up. Octavia crossed her fingers, the anticipation almost killing her. The seeker from the Slytherin teamed dived too, following James.

The crowd eventually worked out that James was just distracting the seeker while actually looking for the snitch. It was a smart move, but Octavia wasn't sure how long it would work for.

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Octavia was on the edge of her seat, biting her lip so hard that it started bleeding. James leaned forward, his hand coming close to the snitch. He was so close, and the anticipation was so thick that not one noise could be heard throughout the whole stadium. 

Everyone's eyes were glued on the boy with the messy hair, even the other players on the field. He got closer and closer, until  "James Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Shouted Fabian Prewett who was spectating.

Octavia stood up and screamed at the top of her lungs, clapping so hard that her hands went red. Everyone joined her, chanting "Gryffindor! Gryffindor!"

The four friends ran down the stadium and into the locker room, where they waited for the team to join them. Sirius walked in first, the biggest smirk on his face, "Gryffindor!" He screamed, running up and jumping into Remus' arms before turning and giving his brother a hug. 

The rest of the team followed suit, hugging each other and cheering. James was the last to walk in, and Octavia threw herself into his arms. "What did I tell you? You killed it!"

He laughed in joy, wrapping his arms around her hips. They stayed in each others arms, perfectly content with the position. 

"Who's ready for a celebration?"

"Fuck yeah!"

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published [5/4/2017]

note [sorry for the short chapter, twenty-two has been broken into two short parts xo]