Kate was terrified of what James had meant.
“Just wait.”
JUST WAIT FOR WHAT.
Kate had tried to ask him in charms a couple days later. To pry the information out of him.
“Cmon, tell me please.” Kate begged.
“Good things come to those who wait.”
“Oh go fuck yourself.”
Kate believed that James was getting some sadistic satisfaction out of tormenting her. It was driving her insane waiting for James to kick off their plan. The wait was irritating that he just flat out refused to tell her how he was going to announce it. Kate had seen his grandiose gestures to just try and convince Lily to go on a date with him.
“Why are you so happy at the minute?” Dorcas asked.
“I’m not any happier than usual.” Kate stated.
“Yes you so are, you’re so smiley.” Alice butted in.
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“I don’t know what you mean, I’m not more or less smiley than usual.”
“Yea sure, keep your secret Kate, we’ll get it out of you soon.” Dorcas said and pointed a finger at Kate accusingly.
Kate just rolled her eyes at her friends dramatic antics.
“There’s nothing to get out of me!” Kate insists.
–
It had been 5 days since their talk in the kitchen and James still hadn’t done anything. Kate was on the edge of her seat waiting for James’s inciting incident to start their charade.
The group were at their usual spot on the long table and benches of the great hall.
Kate kept stealing glances at James in an attempt to try and see if she could find any hints in his expressions. Kate and James had caught eyes a couple times through the start of dinner. Blue met brown. She had to admit that James was incredibly attractive and it was no loss to why he was the most desirable bachelor at Hogwarts. He was also incredibly charming and charismatic. Definitely not the worse person to soon be in a fictitious relationship with.
“Who are you looking at with that look on your face?” Sirius asked and points his fork.
“What face?” Asked James.
“The face you have when a prank that we’ve done is about to happen. Did you plan a prank without us?” Sirius asked and brought up his hand over his heart accusingly.
“No, I haven’t planned a prank without you.” James said. “I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Then what have you planned?” Sirius asked.
“I haven’t planned anything.”
“Then why are you looking at someone?”
James’s eyes flicked to her once more.
Sirius’s head whipped around in an attempt to see what had captured his friends attention that morning.
“No way.” Sirius said.
“No way what?” Remus asked.
“He’s moved on from his previous Lily flower.”
The boys almost choked on their food. Coughing and spluttering while looking at James in disbelief when he didn’t go to deny it. They stared blankly at him on complete shock.
“You’re over Lily? Like Lily Evans, Lily flower, the prettiest girl in the world?” Peter asked.
“Mhm, I’ve given up on her.” He replied.
They were stunned into silence. James potter had given up on Lily. His Lily. The girl he had been pining after for years. Doing absolutely anything to talk to her in the corridors. The girl he had gotten countless detentions for. And he had just moved on. Given up. Said goodbye and now had stopped trying.
“Is that so hard to believe, I’m almost 17, going after a girl who doesn’t even want me back.” James said.
“I’m just wasting my time, I might as well just go after someone who actually wants to date me.”
“Fair enough, happy for you mate.” Sirius said.
“Yea, you deserve to have your feelings reciprocated.” Remus added and Peter nodded in agreement. “So who’s the new lucky girl who’s caught your attention.”
“You’ll find out.” James said cryptically.
“Prongs, you can’t do that!”
“What!”
“You’ve got to tell us man!”
“What? I said you’ll know soon, I’ve just got to make sure she’s all for me.”
James could tell that they weren’t to pleased with his answer wanting to know the new girl he was “infatuated with”. He could also tell that Kate was itching to know how he was going to announce their relationship to everyone. He believed keeping it a secret from even her, then the reaction would be more authentic.
His friends had finally gone to sleep after hounding him about his new love.
James’s plan was now in full swing and almost happening, if he was honest, he was quite excited to have this fake relationship. Well to have a public relationship.
–
Kate awoke as the sun peaked through the curtains temporarily blinding her as she opened her eyes. She rolled over to look at the clock. 5:45am.
“Fuck.” Kate whispered as she was now too wake to go back asleep but now had two spare until they opened the door for breakfast.
Reaching over to turn on her lamp, Kate sees an envelope. Confused, Kate picked it up and ripped it open. Scrawled inside was
‘Dress nice’
J
Deciding after seeing that incredibly cryptic message, she should probably have a long shower. And pick a nice outfit for the day.
James was obviously planning to start this thing today and looking nice was definitely a shoe in.
None of the girls had woken up through Kate’s shuffling. She then very slowly got up from bed and crept into the bathroom, avoiding the noisy planks in the floor. A bed behind her creaked and Kate stood still, realising that whoever it was had just turned around and shifted in their sleep. The door squeaked as she opened it. The gripes of living in a castle that had been around for fucking ever.
Getting out of the shower, the bathroom was all steamed up, the mirror now all foggy. Wrapping her towel around her body and grabbing her wand off of the counter, Kate dried her hair until it was damp leaving it in the perfect condition to be put in hair rollers. In reality, she knew that she could curl it with magic, but with 2 extra hours the muggle way was probably the best way to do it.
“Morning.” Alice whispered.
“Good morning, shower is free.” Kate replied.
“Thanks.”
Alice was usually the first one up in the morning, making sure everyone actually gets up for the day. Now 6:45, An hour of time to get ready.
Kate rummaged through her trunk to find something “nice”. Nice? Like fancy nice. Or casual nice?
Kate found a black button down crop top, with a matching cardigan, a square pattern across it. A black pleated skirt and a pair of white socks. This was nice right?
Dorcas and Lily had woken up as well just as Alice came back from the shower.
“Does this look nice Ali?” Kate asked frantically gesturing to her outfit.
“With the hair rollers, yea.”
“Yea, really. It enhances the look.” Dorcas added.
“Oh fuck off.”
Marlene woke up to the laughing.
“God, you look stupid.” She piped in.
“Oi, I got up really early, thought I might as well do my hair the muggle way.” Kate argued. “It’ll look nice when it’s dry.”
“Alright alright.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“What are we going to do today girls?” Dorcas asked.
“I’m going to see Amos at some point, but after that we could just sit in the common room?” Lily said.
“Yea, why not, or we could go on a walk?” Marlene added.
“It’s freezing outside now though.” Dorcas said.
“Just take a coat.” Marlene pointed out.
“Or we could do both, go on a walk then sit by the fire in the common room?” Alice suggested.
Everyone agreed to that, settling on a happy medium.
Kate started doing her makeup, deciding to keep it semi natural. Concealer, blush, highlighter, a pink tinted lipgloss and a thin layer of mascara.
“Why are you dressed so fancy?” Dorcas enquired.
“I’m not?”
“No you definitely are, you’re trying to impress someone.” She finished.
“Oh my god, you totally have a crush on someone!” Marlene pretty much screamed as she ran over and grabbed Kate’s shoulders. “Our girls all grown up.”
She find her face in an attempt to stop “crying”.
“You know I’ve had boyfriends before right? And crushes.” Kate said.
“Yea but they were all outside of Hogwarts, so this is different.” Alice added.
“And I don’t have a crush on someone.” She denied.
“And you’re a bad liar.”
“I’m not lying!”
“Sureee.” Marlene finished.
Kate rolled her eyes and pulled on her doc martins and pulling out the rollers leaving her with soft ends and slight curls, now ready to go to breakfast.
“Hurry up people, I’m craving egg on toast.” Kate said, ready to go down to breakfast.
Kate couldn’t lie she was incredibly nervous, not knowing how or when James was going to start this thing was nerve wracking. He was popular, funny, and just well liked by most. But Kate wasn’t really known to anyone that wasn’t in their house. How would people believe that he actually liked her?
That was the main worry, how would it be believable if they were so different. Opposites attract.
She’d never faked a relationship before, how was it supposed to go? Knowing she could call it off anytime was a comfort but James had been so nice to her, she was doing this as she owed him one.
Finally, everyone was ready to go down to breakfast. Kate could finally have her egg on toast.
“You’re hair does look nice.” Marlene said.
“I told you so.” Kate replied and flipped her hair over her shoulder dramatically to prove a point.
“Shut up.”
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