Years in the making

[Professor James Cade]

James couldn't believe what had just happened. He and Charlotte had broken up and he hadn't seen it coming at all. Sure things had been weird between them ever since they got back to school despite spending a wonderful Christmas together, but James hadn't thought for one moment that the incident in the hospital wing with Maddie would actually break them up. Clearly he had underestimated how much seeing Maddie there had affected Charlotte. The fact the whole incident had occurred in front of Daniel Rosemary had made it worse. He always had the impression the boy didn't like him because of how close he was, or rather had been, with his sister and the way seemed to fawn over Charlotte right in front of him made the Gryffindor sick to his stomach. At least Daniel had a free shot at her if he so wished.

With his relationship over, the only thing James could think to do was to go back to the common room. Maybe Rudolf would be there, his best friend could distract him with a story about how he most recently tried to woo Phoebe. That poor boy was clueless. As he turned onto the seventh floor corridor James saw a flurry of blonde hair and turned to see the face of Amy Rosemary coming out of Heta Omega. "Hey Amy," He said approaching her. Things had been strained with them for a while now, but he needed a friend and Amy had always been there for him when he needed her.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

Amy was shaking her head as she walked out of Heta Omega, everything was happening way too quickly for her to comprehend - two of her close friends had broken up, as she'd heard from Dan and that was never a great thing. That normally meant their friendship would never be the same again, not that their romantic relationship was any good either, with all the respect she had for James and Charlotte. At least, Amy had managed to be friends with everyone still, though she had wanted to talk to Maddie for ages. She missed her dear friend and desperately wanted to see how she was doing. The hufflepuff would have missed the figure in the corridor had they not called out her name. The voice was familiar. Looking up, Amy's eyes brightened. "James, hey," he said smiling, glancing up and down the corridor in case she'd spot Maddie, but no such luck. "How's it been? It's been way too long." As far as the girl knew, they were both over the fact that James and Maddie were into each other - it was obvious. Amy really didn't mind. As long as their friendship lasted, she was happy.​

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[Professor James Cade]

James barely saw Amy lately, which was a shame as she had been the first friend he made at Hogwarts, and for a while it seemed like she could have been more, but it seemed like it wasn't to be. Things hadn't been right between them since third year when she found about his kiss with Maddie. "Could be better I guess, me and Charlotte just broke up," James said rather casually. He was a little annoyed, nothing he said could convince Charlotte nothing had been going with him and Maddie but their relationship had ended all the same. "Anyway, forger me, how have you been? I haven't seen you in so long," James said changing his tone to a more happy one.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

As she stood there smiling, she remembered back in first year when they thought they could've been more than friends, but so much had happened since then that the hufflepuff doubted anything ever would. Of course, she used to have a crush on him for at least a year, which was a long time. They had both grown up since then though and both of them had been in a relationship. Amy frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that," she told him honestly. "I'm good thank you, much better than last year actually," Amy didn't want to keep anything from any of her friends and that included James. Although she had purposefully avoided mentioning Felix right after his break up with Charlotte. "I agree, I think we deserve to catch up." The blonde grinned, happy to be able to talk to him about anything but the drama that had taken place for a change. "Hey have you seen Maddie lately? It's been a while since all three of us hung out!" She exclaimed, feeling a little guilty for not remembering to catch up with both of them together like they used to. "It has been so long, like a few years!" She might have been exaggerating but it felt like forever and the three of them should've matured greatly since that awkward few months after James and Maddie had made out. It was time to start new.​

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[Professor James Cade]

James waved his hand dismissively as Amy said she was sorry to hear about the break up. "It's okay, yeah its fresh but it felt like it was coming, you know?" Things between him and Charlotte hadn't been right since the beginning of the semester, and with Amy's brother Daniel buzzing around like he did, they had never stood a chance of repairing the damage. "I'm sure Dan's thrilled," James added rolling his eyes. The fact the boy had been there, coaching her only made him angry so he tried not to think about it. "I'm glad, I know things have been weird between us lately, but I hope we can put that behind us," James smiled warmly at Amy. He really did want to put things right between them. "I haven't seen much of her the last few weeks, just in the common room and in class, but we're friends now, we seem to have put all the drama behind us, I'd love it if we could all hang out," James stepped a little closer to the Hufflepuff. It was really good to see her.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

Amy nodded, smiling, it was understandable as a lot of relationships didn't last for very long, though she thought James and Charlotte looked good together. The hufflepuff raised her eyebrows, putting a hand to her mouth to prevent herself from laughing at James's next statement. "I'm sure he...he didn't have anything to do with it, did he? I know my brother, he wouldn't intentionally break other people up," she frowned, the idea of it seriously bothering her. The hufflepuff knew Dan, but then again maybe he had a crush on Charlotte and just never told Amy. "Do you think they're like...into each other, or something?" The blonde blinked once and then shook her head to clear it. It was simply strange to the girl. If Dan liked Charlotte and kept it secret, maybe he had strong feelings for her. That, or he was completely oblivious to his own emotions. "Anyway, yeah, of course we can. Once true best friends, always best friends, correct?" She smiled again, her dimples showing. "No matter what happens," she added as an afterthought. "That would be amazing, of course we should. I miss those moments just between us, you, me, Maddie. I'm glad you've sorted things out." Amy truly was happy, now they could finally hang out as friends like before as it was about time. Her hair fell to one side as she smiled at James, unable to break the gaze because it had been a while since the two of them had had a proper conversation.​

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[Professor James Cade]

The realisation that James was close to bad mouthing Amy's brother dawned on him as he continued to speak. James knew what it felt like to have a low opinion of a sibling, and it wasn't something he would wish on anyone so he decided to ease up a little. His relationship with Charlotte was over, whatever he said or thought about Daniel Rosemary wouldn't change anything, it would only hurt Amy, which was something he never wanted to do. "I don't know, maybe not, I just know he was there, maybe its a good thing that Charlotte will have someone there for her now I'm not, she deserves that at least," James sighed. He hadn't handled things well, but there had been nothing he could have changed about the hospital wing incident, he had been in bed.

"Sorry, I don't want it to sound like I'm bad mouthing your brother, everything is just so raw right now, maybe he is into her, maybe she is into him, maybe thats the real reason she ended things," James smiled as Amy moved the conversation along which he was grateful for. "Of course, you'll always be my first best friend," James laughed and nudged her. Things had been tense, but Amy's friendship had always meant a lot to him. "Yeah, we're okay now. But what I miss is the moments just between us," James changed his demeanor, he smiled at Amy, he suddenly had other ideas. "Honestly, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn't kissed Maddie, I'm not sure how you felt but I always felt like there was something between us," James said softly as he walked closer to Amy.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

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<COLOR color="black"><FONT font="Georgia">Amy shrugged.​

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"Yeah, I guess so. It's not like him to tell me straight away, but he will eventually. They are good friends." She decided to leave it there, it wasn't her business and if her brother wanted to say something about it he would. Amy was not getting involved in that, too. "Agreed, as long as you're also okay," she told him genuinely. It wasn't fair that Charlotte got to have someone and James didn't. Amy would always be there for him, they were good friends and that meant she'd always have his back. The blonde did not want her best friend to feel so upset about what happened, because it seemed as though he was blaming himself for it and it was not something she approved of - it wasn't his or anyone's fault, in her opinion, maybe things happened the way they were meant to turn out. "Don't worry about it," she reassured him, "I'm sure it'll blow over eventually, if you and Charlotte are meant to stay friends then it will happen, if not, well you have Maddie and me. You'll always have friends you can turn to," she smiled at him again and was happy that James had the chance to talk to someone about this.

Amy beamed at James when he called her his first best friend, she wouldn't change that for the world. Him and Maddie were great people though they had their faults, but everyone did. She raised an eyebrow at him as he stepped closer, thinking she was getting the same idea as him. Or, she at least hoped it was the same - awkward moments were not her forte. "Me too," she admitted. "To both," she added quietly. She was referring to missing the moments they used to spend alone as well as to the what ifs. The mood had changed by now. Amy could not break the gaze, maybe there was still something going on between them, since first year, that hadn't in fact faded. The girl had been in denial, telling herself that there was nothing left but as she stood there in close proximity to James she realised she hadn't been honest with herself. She stepped even closer, closing the gap between them. She didn't know what she was doing, her subconscience might have known but her thoughts were only filled with 'what if'. ​

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[Professor James Cade]

James sighed as Amy spoke about her brother, he didn't want to talk about him anymore, he didn't want to talk about Charlotte, he just wanted to focus on Amy and being in the moment with her. "I'm glad I still have you, I thought I might lose you for a little while," James sighed thinking back, but in the moment it was difficult to feel sad even after everything that had happened, because he was with Amy and everything felt right. When Amy told him she too missed the moments they shared and had felt something between them all those years ago, he felt the mood change. Amy's next move surprised James, but he reacted quickly, he placed his hands on Amy's waist and returned the kiss. After a few moments, he pulled back and grinned at her, "Theres a broom cupboard behind me, what do you say we take this inside?"

 

[Amy Rosemary]

Amy's smile trailed off her face when James said he thought he'd lose her for a little while. No, he wasn't going to and she was going to make sure of that. True friends stayed friends. "No James," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "You won't lose me, we're best friends forever remember?" She smiled. After their moment, she beamed. Then she laughed nervously at his suggestion, typical James. Although...it was a way for her to release the stress from school and the drama surrounding her friends and twin. The girl nodded. "A distraction would be nice." She glanced around them, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention whatsoever. If someone caught them, it would be rather embarrassing. ​

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[Professor James Cade]

James smiled and nodded at Amy's comment about them being best friends forever. They were and always would be. "Of course," There was something about being around Amy that felt easy, they just seemed to fit well together and he never had to pretend or try with her. She always accepted him for who he was. The corridor was quiet, no one would see them sneak into the cupboard. James took her hand and led her inside closing the door behind them, at least he thought he had. Once they were inside and turned to the blonde, a smile on his face and mischief in his eyes. "Finally we're alone," He smiled and kissed her.

 

[Madeline Walden]

It has been a weird couple of weeks. Maddie had heard that Charlotte and James had broken up but neither of them had bothered to tell her. She had heard it being gossiped about in the Great Hall during dinner a week or so before and was a little hurt that she seemed to be the last person to know. On the other hand, it wasn't that surprising because Maddie had drifted so far away from her best friend and her fellow Gryffindor. Filled with thoughts about the past year she had nearly arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room already and was about to step towards the portrait but she saw a flash of blonde hair and could have sworn that it was her best friend Amy disappearing into what looked like a broom cupboard. Instinctively Maddie made her way over to see what her friend was doing but as she was about to open the door she heard more than just Amy's voice. Her mouth dropped open as she recognised it as James' voice almost instantly. Without thinking about leaving them to their privacy, Maddie swung open the door and was shocked at what and who she found in there; Amy and James entangled in each other "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, rooted to the spot.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

As Amy entered the cupboard with James, she felt a little twinge of guilt but she quickly pushed it away, she didn't need to feel guilty about this - right? Besides, the semester was full of things that had given Amy a headache and that did not even include school work. So she tried to ignore it and instead enjoyed the moment, she knew it was nothing serious and it felt nice to get it out of her system. It had been there for years after all, she could guess James felt the same. Upon hearing the door of the cupboard opening and an exclamation of a very shocked Gryffindor, Amy's eyed widened and she pulled away immediately, her face reddening as she took in Maddie's expression. "Uh-we were just-" she quickly glanced at James. Well. They were f***ed. "It wasn't, you know - it didn't mean anything-" Amy stopped, realising she was just rambling her muddled thoughts. She was trying to get over the shock of being discovered by not just anyone, but her best friend. this was so not good. She looked at James as a sign to say something. Hopefully something that would not make the situation worse, though knowing James...

 

[Professor James Cade]

James was far too distracted to make sure the cupboard door was shut properly and enjoying himself too much to care. It felt good to let go of all the drama that had surrounded his relationship with Charlotte, the Yule ball, and his brother and just lose himself in the moment. Being around Amy had always been easy, nothing was ever forced and he always felt at ease with her. As much fun as he was having being with Amy he knew it wouldn't last but he didn't expect to be interrupted by the one person he didn't want to find him kissing Amy. As Maddie announced her arrival at the cupboard door with a rather loud exclamation, James and Amy bolted apart and Amy struggled to find the words to explain what was happening between the two. James knew that nothing he could say could make the situation any better for any of them so he resorted to the one thing he believed himself to do well. Humour. "Hey Madz, care to join us?"

 

[Madeline Walden]

The three of them just seemed to stand there and stare at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Maddie couldn't process her thoughts quick enough. Amy. James. The Cupboard. Kissing. Each Other! She looked from Amy to James and back again trying to get her head around the situation. Was she annoyed? Was she happy? A whole wave of emotions was coursing through her and she didn't know which was the most dominant. The jealousy she felt whenever she saw James with someone else began to surface which she didn't really want to happen, not at this point. She couldn't lose another friend over something so ridiculous. She held up her hand to Amy as if to say "it's okay". She tried to squeeze out a little smile for her Hufflepuff friend but she was afraid that it had come out as a grimace. The last thing she had expected to see was James and Amy wrapped around each other, especially so soon after Charlotte as well.

Maddie's brow furrowed at James' suggestion "of course I don't want to join the two of you" she replied, shortly "what on earth are you doing? What about Charlotte?" she demanded from both of them. Gossip wasn't completely reliable and true around the school, Maddie knew first hand of that, so she couldn't be sure if James and Charlotte really had broken up or not. "I don't understand..." she said looking at the space in between the three of them.

 

[Amy Rosemary]

Amy couldn't help but to gape at James's not-so-smooth response when he, too, noticed Maddie standing right in front of them. She mentally face-palmed at his words, seriously, this was not the time for humour or jokes. Their best friend had just seen her and James together. Talk about awkward. In order to say something hopefully to keep the peace, she replied to Maddie's question about Charlotte, wanting to ease her confusion. "You haven't heard? James and Charlotte broke up." James had confirmed it to Amy a few minutes before they decided to step into the cupboard so she wanted Maddie to be on the same page.

 

[Professor James Cade]

James didn't think his remarks would really achieve anything but he couldn't think of anything else to say. He was surprised Maddie actually replied to his statement rather than flat out ignoring it as Amy had chosen to do. Clearly lightening the mood was not the way to go which was a shame as it was the Gryffindor's go-to move. James couldn't work out what Maddie's feelings were about the whole situation other than confusion. Amy answered her question regarding his break up with Charlotte but he needed to confirm it himself. "She ended things," He said casually. It wasn't how he felt about it but James wasn't about to stand in front of two girls he was attracted to and tell them how he felt about his break up.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie's expression of shock at seeing her two best friends together changed into confusion when she heard that Charlotte and James had broken up. At least that explained why the two of them were together, in a cupboard, kind of. She could tell there were more feelings under the surface for James than he was letting on about his break up but this was neither the time nor the place to ask him about them. Maddie decided that she would leave the pair to themselves and would catch up with them later. After all, this had been coming for years and she was secretly a little pleased that her two best friends had decided to bite the bullet and actually kiss each other. She smirked and cleared her throat "Well.. that's erm, good... Er, I'll just leave you two to it" she said backing out of the doorway, wondering if she should find Charlotte and see if her other best friend was okay. Even though Maddie was probably one of the last people she would want to see, given what she had walked into a few weeks ago.