Chapter 843 - Prepping Ⅴ (2/2)
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.
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.