alis volat propriis

ѕнє ƒℓιєѕ ωιтн нєя σωη ωιηgѕ ELOISE WOOD \\ XVI // GRYFFINDOR

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

Eloise looked completely stunning. There wasn’t any other way to put it. James felt lucky to spend his time with someone so beautiful. Even when she wasn’t dressed up like she was at the moment, James still thought she looked stunning. He quirked an eyebrow as she took his hands in hers, but the reason for the dress soon presented itself. “Wait, right now?” James asked after a brief pause. “Yeah, alright, but, wait- shouldn’t I be the one asking you out?” He was half-joking. “I’ll meet you downstairs.” James said before pecking her on the cheek and closing the door. 

Only a few seconds after closing the door did James begin to have second thoughts. They could run into someone that recognized them, and James couldn’t deal with answer questions or talking to someone. There had been lots of press about the Gryffindor team lately, but especially James. It overwhelmed him, quite honestly, and he wouldn’t admit it, but all the press was making him seriously doubt his career choice. He wanted to play quidditch professionally, but he didn’t want to be a professional quidditch player. He didn’t want all the fame and everything that went along with it. James sighed deeply. He hadn’t even started to get dressed, and he had already taken too long. He changed into a pair of nice pants, threw on a shirt and tie, and hunted down his suit-jacket. Last was his hair, which he spent the longest on. It was still a bit of a mess when he was done with it, but at least it didn’t look like he had just rolled off the quidditch pitch like it normally did. Fifteen minutes after closing the door to her, James met with El downstairs. “D’you think we’ll run into anyone who’ll recognize us? You look beautiful, by the way. Did I say that? I thought it. Where are we going again?”

Eloise had made her way down to the lobby, examining her nails quietly while she waited. Though, she immediately regretted this pastime as her subject of observation looked atrocious. She hadn’t thought to paint her nails. Well, frankly, there was hardly ever any point to it seeing as any length or polish would soon get destroyed in a game or a particularly intense practice. She sighed. What was taking James so long? Surely boys didn’t have much work to do when it came down to formal attire, she had just seen him moments ago and he could have probably just changed his clothes and been fine. It probably didn’t help that Eloise could see her boyfriend having just rolled out of bed and ran down to the Great Hall as not to miss breakfast, hair wild as ever, and still think he was the cutest boy to ever grace the planet, but still. 

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps approaching and smiled when she saw James, standing up from her seat. It was her turn to lean up and kiss his cheek while he began his rambling, sliding her hand into his. “We’re only headed to that little restaurant down the street, so I think that we’ll be fine. But, if we just so happen to run into anybody, we can kindly ask them to bugger off for a bit, hmm?” She quirked her eyebrows at him, the smile not once leaving her lips. “And thank you. You look very handsome. Almost too handsome, actually. We can’t have these French girls trying to steal you away from me so quickly, you know.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

The Gryffindor team had made it to the IQC. Not only had they made it, but they were doing quite well. The days were filled with lots of travelling and sight-seeing. (And of course, lots and lots of quidditch.) Their next, and last game wasn’t for another three days. It had somehow worked out that they’d get three days to explore Paris all they’d like. It was almost enough to distract James from the upcoming game. Almost. If they lost he didn’t know what he’d do. He was already awful at talking to them when they won, and the team had never played in such an important game. His leg shook up and down as he sat on his bed, coming up with worse and worse scenarios. The weather could be terrible, and they’ve never practiced in lighting before… The knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts. Expecting it to be Freddie, who had returned for his wand left abandoned on his nightstand, James opened the door. He grinned when he saw that his visitor was El.

When she had received an owl from Victoire shortly after breakfast with news of a pre-planned, non-refundable surprise date (with plenty of time to prepare because her ‘Future Cousin In-Law’ was no heathen and knew that a girl needed hours for such things), Eloise was ecstatic. Victoire definitely knew James to a tee because she also wrote that James should be informed at the last second lest he have a panic attack and talk himself out of a well-deserved date and into another bloody quidditch practice. The brunette wasted no time in laying out the dress and a pair of pumps that she had brought with the intention of wearing to the post-championship gala, but the recycling of the outfit would have to be her little secret with James. She took a long shower and spent a ridiculous amount of time on her hair and makeup with no detail overlooked. Eloise genuinely wanted tonight to be perfect. After all, how many chances does a seventeen year old witch get to spend a romantic night in Paris with her boyfriend?

When James opened the door, Eloise returned his smile immediately and took his hands in hers, swinging them slightly. She quickly noted how nice the few extra inches her heels gave her felt so she wasn’t completely dwarfed in comparison to him. “So, I was thinking that we should be selfish and take a night in Paris all for ourselves without the team. What would you say to cleaning up a bit then taking a stroll to that lovely little restaurant on the corner for dinner? A little birdie sent me a message that we have an all-expenses-paid reservation there.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

Oh no. He had messed up. James was entirely sure that he had screwed up by asking her. he had read the situation wrong, and now things would be awkward between them, and their friendship was ruined. All because of him. Fuck. Why did he have to go and make a fool of himself? Why did he think he could just do things like that? Eloise didn’t like him. Why else would she hesitate like that. James bit his bottom lip hard. He failed to look anywhere else but at a scuff on the floor of the tower. He had no idea what to do. James started drafting an apology in his head, but there seemed to be no possible way to pretend that he hadn’t screwed up so badly. When she finally spoke, all James could do was stare at her for a few seconds. Shit. He had been kidding himself. Someone as brilliant as her wouldn’t want to go on some stupid date with him. “What? I think- I thought I asked you that?” James stumbled out, finally finding his voice. He bit his bottom lip and swallowed hard. “I-I’m sorry. I made everything weird and awful, and I’m sorry. You- shit. I’m sorry.” He shook his head as he spoke, and started to get up.

“No,” she half-shouted, reaching out to take his hand again and pull him back to her. “I want it to be a date. I’d like that. I like you, James. Don’t go.” It was a wild declaration considering her audience, but he needed to know that wasn’t the nature of her question at all. Of course she liked him, she liked him a lot. In fact, she loved James. He was her best friend. In love with him? Not yet, but it surely wasn’t far behind. Eloise gave his hand a small squeeze and she craned her neck a bit to loo into his eyes. “I mean it. I didn’t know if you meant it, that’s why I asked.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

“No, no, no- you didn’t.” James assured her quickly. He took her hand and continued their previous walk. He wasn’t entirely convinced that her being happy for him was all that it was. James wasn’t that great. He wasn’t someone that made people cry with happiness. It must be something else, but he wasn’t going to press the issue any further. They walked in comfortable silence- or at least, James was comfortable with it- all the way up to the astronomy tower. The sun had already set completely. It wasn’t late enough for all the stars to be visible, but they still had a wonderful view. Picking a spot at random, James spread out their blanket and placed the basket down on it. He could hear Freddie urging him to do it- to ask her out. James had been working up the confidence to do it for a few weeks. He had liked her for more than that, after all. But the timing never felt right and he could never think of the words. They were always rushing off to be somewhere else, and asking her after practice or a game felt awkward. (Really, James felt awkward all the time. There was no relieving that feeling.) The words hit him out of seemingly nowhere. He rehearsed them in his head several times as he got the food out. Then, after pulling her down on the blanket with him, James finally asked, “So, uh, does this count as a date?” He thought he may vomit or throw himself off the tower or completely pass out. James bit his bottom lip, and try as he might he couldn’t look at her.

Eloise squeezed his hand gently, trying to just shift her thoughts. Come what may, she figured it would be best to enjoy the time she had with James now and worry about the rest later. When they reached the top of the tower, she couldn’t help but to give a little gasp at the view, “It’s amazing up here.” She had spent many evenings at Hogwarts, but looking out at the lake from this point of view with the sky still slightly orange from the sun only just setting was, well, for lack of a better term...quite magical. It didn’t take long for them to set up their spot and the tea to appear while James set the food up. Eloise gave him a smile as he took her hand again and pulled her down next to him and she didn’t waste any time in scooting right up next to him. However, out of anything James could have asked her after she made herself comfortable, she was downright speechless at what he had asked. Her smile faded to more of a look of confusion. Was it a date? Did she want it to be? Well, that was a stupid question, of course she wanted it to be a bloody date. But did he want it to be or was this just a joke? She didn’t know....it didn’t seem like a very James thing to joke about, after all. Eloise gulped; she knew that her cheeks were on fire in that moment. Actually, she could feel the heat up to her ears. She was never the nervous one so where was this all coming from? It had been far too long of a silence...she needed to say something. It didn’t help that her heart was pounding, though, and her head was practically screaming ‘Yes! Yes! YES!’. She managed to look over at him with her eyebrows raised. “Do you want it to count as a date?”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

Setting down the basket, James brought his hands up to her cheeks. He gently wiped her tears with his thumbs. “Hey-hey. Don’t you- just. I’ll miss you too, but I’ll visit you during Hogsmeade weekends. An’ maybe I’ll see a game. You’ll probably be captain, and you’ll be the best one Gryffindor’s ever seen, and then you’ll play quidditch and snatch that best quidditch player title away from me. We’ll be okay, al-alright?” He couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he brought her to his chest, and this time he was the one holding her tightly. He still felt like he should do more, but he couldn’t think of anything. Shit. He had made her cry. “Let’s-Do you want to continue with the picnic? We don’t have to or anything I- only if you want. We don’t have to.”

She smiled when he pulled her in to his chest. “I know we will. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be crying. I’m not sad, I promise. You’re just my best friend, you know that? And I love you lots and and so happy for you.” She took a deep breathe before moving to look up at him again. She knew she was being silly, now was not the time for a little stint like this one. It was silly to be crying, but at the same time she had to admit that James’ graduation becoming that much more real to her was a tad frightening. They had gotten so close and, sure, she had other friends...but he was different? And there was something about him going off to play for the big leagues and become even more famous that made her think that he might just forget about her when he’s away. Surely there were plenty of girls out there that would both love and be more than able to take her place and James would likely be even more accessible to them. “Yes, yes; of course I want to! Do you? I’m sorry if I ruined it.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

James hadn’t been expecting the hug at all. El surprised him with it, and with how tight it was. It took him a moment, but he eventually returned it with his free arm. He grinned and laughed into it. “Yeah, they all know and they are. It’ll be after I graduate, before the IQC. They told me to invite anyone I wanted, but that’s just you and Freddie, really.” He parted from her slightly to look at her. Again, El was surprising him. There were tears in her eyes. His expression quickly shifted to concern. “Hey- holy shit- what’s up? What’s wrong?” He had messed it up. James had done something to make her upset, obviously. He just had no idea what. He parted from the hug completely to look at her, though he still kept a hand gently at her shoulder.

“Nothing! Nothing, I promise!” She brought her hands up to wipe away her tears, not that they stopped them from continuing to flow. She let out a breathless laugh and looked up at him again with what was arguable the biggest, teariest smile ever. “I’m just so happy for you, James. This is really amazing and you’re going to be the best quidditch player in the whole bloody league and I’m just -- I’m gonna miss you so much next year. Merlin’s Beard, this whole you-graduating-thing didn’t feel, like, actually real until now.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

“I’m sure that she will.” James said with a soft smile, though his mind was completely distracted. It was comfortable, natural even, for James to walk beside her holding her hand, but it was still a little unbelievable. At least to James. He doubted that El was thinking about it too. James analyzed things too much. He’d pick apart every moment of a conversation until he was confident that it had gone completely awful. It was a bad habit, he knew, but he couldn’t stop it. He bit his bottom lip as she spoke about the two of them getting away from the rest of the team. He’d like that. He had actually been planning it, but was that weird? That was probably too much. “Actually, I- I’ll be playing for Puddlemere. I committed a few days ago. I didn’t want to distract you or anyone from the match, so I kept it to myself…”

She stopped. Everything stopped. Puddlemere? James was already drafted for Puddlemere? She’d be lying if she were to say she wasn’t a little disappointed he didn’t tell her earlier, but she couldn’t blame him either. “Oh, James,” she practically squealed as she let go of his hand and threw her arms around him tightly. “This is incredible! I’m so happy for you, I could cry! Did you tell your mum and dad yet? Or your brother and sister? I bet they’re already planning a party for you!” She hadn’t let go of him yet. If anything, she was holding on tighter, rocking the two of them ever so slightly. The picnic, while definitely still in the plan, had been forgotten in that moment and, as dramatic as it seemed, she hadn’t been lying at all about wanting to cry at how excited she was for him. In fact, she could definitely feel the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes as she spoke. 

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

He was thankful for the small comfort provided by her hand and the shift in conversation. Talking about quidditch was loads easier than talking about her and what he thought about her. Truthfully, James had been thinking about El quite a bit. She was his friend, of course, one of his closest friends, but he had been thinking about her being more than a friend. She was one of the most amazing people James had ever met, and he could talk with her like he could no one else, and what they had- it was different than anything James had ever known. He liked it. He liked her. James glanced down at their intertwined fingers and smiled. “France, definitely. My cousin- Victoire- lives there half the time. It’ll be fun to play quidditch at her second home.” He paused. “’M having a meeting with some of the officials in a few days. I can ask where we’ll be going. I know that we’ll host one, but we won’t play in it.”

“Maybe Victoire will come see us play! I’m sure the team...maybe even more specifically the beaters, would be excited to hear that a Gryffindor alumni, turned pro is out in the crowd cheering them on.” Her thumb rubbed the back of his knuckles gently while they walked. She was surprised at how natural it felt...and at how well adjusted James had started to become with her genuine inclination for physical interaction. She had always been the hugger, hand-holder, and what have you and it was hard to deny the fact that James seemed to be warming up to that kind of thing more and more lately which made Eloise really happy. She liked that she could hold his hand or otherwise touch him affectionately without making it uncomfortable like it might have a few months before. “Oh, yes! You’ll have to get me a copy of that itinerary!” She looked up at him, a smile lighting up her features. “Maybe the two of use could make some excursion plan along the way too once we know where we’re going and all. We could have resting days for team bonding! And, not to be selfish, but if the two of us don’t have at least one night of fun away from everybody else, I’ll be royally disappointed. After all, we need to start celebrating your upcoming graduation and the definite offers to play in the big leagues that are going to follow this competition.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

James blushed. He couldn’t help it. El had called him one of her favorite things. It wasn’t something James thought he was familiar with. As far as he knew, he just wasn’t the favorite. There were far better options than him. But James didn’t protest her preferences. He simply smiled and nodded and let her think what she liked. Eloise was one of his favorites too, he supposed. She was probably his favorite person in the entire world. A few seconds later a house elf arrived with a basket of food, which James took with a quick thanks. “Uh, shall we go?” James asked, started towards the door. “And, um, you’re my favorite too. I think. Well, no, I don’t think, well I do, but not about that, er, not more than I should, I just- You’re my favorite.” He cringed slightly.

“Thank you, James,” she replied with a faint blush. It was sweet, really, and she knew that the stutters and rephrasing were just a symptom of his anxiety. She probably could have told anybody that long before the two of them had actually gotten close, having known him only as a child at professional quidditch games and years later as a teammate and captain. So, she knew. Eloise knew what he was trying to say and that it likely sounded much worse to him than it did to her in that moment. Not even thinking, she took his free hand and gave it a light squeeze. “What country d’you think you’re most excited to play in? I keep meaning to ask an official if America is part of the competition or not because I’d love to visit there. I’ve never been before.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

“Absolutely.” James said as he stumbled through the portrait hole. It wasn’t exactly designed for someone his size. The house elves around them hardly reached his hips. He greeted them awkwardly, not entirely sure the proper way to ask them for something. His aunt would kill him if he were rude, but wasn’t being there already rude? James turned back to El instead. “Brilliant. You can tell me all about them, while I… I’ll listen to you.”

Eloise barely ever thought twice about interacting with the house elves. Of course, she’d never be rude to them because they truly were the inner workings of the castle. However, asking them to do things for her never really made her uncomfortable. They were there because they liked working, right? Surely the headmistress wasn’t enslaving them. It was no matter. She caught the attention of one of them and asked if there was any possibility for a basket full of pumpkin pasties as well as a couple scones if they had any to spare. And, finally, asked if it would be possible to send a teapot and teacups up to the Astronomy Tower for the two of them. No doubt it would be just a bit chilly up on the tower and some hot tea could help keep them warm. She turned back to James with a smile as the house elf ran off to get their things together.  She gave a small laugh, “Sounds perfect. Stargazing, food, and you. Basically all of my favorite things in one sitting.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

James nodded. He definitely wanted to go through with the plan, and he could imagine no one better to have a picnic with. He shrugged slightly as an answer. He’d be fine with any food, really. Whatever El liked. “Something sweet, maybe? Whatever you want.” He ran a hand through his hair as they stepped down the marble stairs. “We’ll probably be able to see the stars from the Astronomy Tower. It’s a clear night. I’m rubbish at astronomy, so don’t expect me to explain anything to you.”

When she reached the portrait entrance to the kitchens, Eloise silently stretched her hand out to tickle the pear. “Something sweet hmm.....do you think they’d give us a load of pumpkin pasties?” She gave a small laugh as they entered the through the portrait, giving a small wave to a few of the house elves that were in her path. “Lucky for you, I’m basically an astronomy master, so I can tall you about the stars.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

As she spoke, a blush grew in his cheeks. Eloise should really be the one giving speeches before the games. She was brilliant at them. She was brilliant in everything, really, but especially at the things James was rubbish at. He stumbled over his words for a moment, not entirely sure what to say in response to all of that kindness. “I- They don’t- I mean, they do, but- Thank you, El.” It didn’t feel like a good enough response, but it was all James had in him. He hoped it conveyed everything he felt- how grateful he was for her, and that he had forgiven her. He ran a hand through his hair and chewed on his bottom lip. “So… the picnic? Astronomy tower?” He asked after an eternity. “We’re not far from the kitchens.” James had lead himself all the way down to the third floor.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, “You’re welcome, James.” Eloise tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as they continued walking, the blush now quickly fading from her cheeks. With the wave of relief flowing through her at the turn of their conversation, there was a definite pep in her step as she continued towards the kitchens. “Yes, as long as you’d like to go through with the plan. What kind of food should we pack to bring with us?”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

“Yeah, it was.” James said shortly. He couldn’t think of anything else to say to her. James hated being at the party itself, and Eloise had dragged him to the center of it. He had probably looked awkward and terrible. He definitely wasn’t standing on that couch right, and his hair was all wrong, and he probably should have tried to say something. James ran a hand through his hair again. “You’re forgiven, I just- I don’t. I don’t know how to talk- I don’t know how to deal with all those people, and I can’t…I’m sorry…” He really wasn’t making much sense. James let his voice fizzle out.

“Stop apologizing for things you shouldn’t be sorry for.” Her tone was stern enough, it was obvious that she meant what she was saying, but there was a hint of gentleness to the comment as well. Eloise knew James couldn’t help it, apologizing was akin to breathing for him, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying to get him to understand that he didn’t need to be so hard on himself. “I know...I know it’s hard sometimes to talk to them or deal with them, but you don’t always have to view it that way. Think of talking to them, especially the team, like talking to me -- or Freddie even! They all love you just as much, I’m sure. We’ll be spending so much time all together at the IQC and the want to know you, James. The team already respects you so much more than you can ever imagine; you should hear the things they say about you outside of the complaints about early morning practices. I wish you could see yourself the way they see you -- the way I see you.” Her cheeks burned a little bit at how much she had just let spill out, but she had to make sure he understood that she would never want to hurt him by doing what she did, that none of the team would ever use a moment like that against him.

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

James stopped walking suddenly, causing El to crash into him. She really didn’t know, and James didn’t know how to explain it to her. She deserved to know why he was upset, at least. “There- There were so many people there El. And they were all looking at me because you dragged me on the couch. And there were so many people at that party. I couldn’t breathe.” He bit his bottom lip, unsure of what else to say to explain it better. With nothing to do with his hands, he dragged them through his messy hair. “Just, please don’t do that.”

She frowned. Of course that was it, how could she be so daft? James hated being the center of attention just as easily as it came to her to deal with it and she had managed to get so bloody caught up in all of it that she might have given him a near panic attack. He should have been screaming at her right now for the mistake she made. “I - I’m sorry, I forgot. I just got so...Everybody was so happy for you and the whole team was wondering where you were. Piper always gets sad because she wants to celebrate with all of us but she can never find you and I just -- I wanted you to see how much they all love you. I didn’t even think about how many people there were...I’m really sorry, James. Really, really sorry. That was awful of me to drag you up there.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

“When you were there, at the- at the party.” James stumbled over his words. “El, go back. It’s fine. Go have fun.” James didn’t want to be the one responsible for taking El out of a party she was clearly enjoying. He continued walking, as if he walked fast and far enough that would make El return to the party and leave him alone.

“I don’t want to go back, I promised we could do this and -- would you quit walking so fast -- and I want to do our picnic! I was looking forward to it!” She was beginning to grow frustrated with him. “Why are you doing this? Was it something I said? I didn’t mean to make you upset, James.” She tried to think of what could have made him think she didn’t want to spend time with him...they barely had a conversation before he had disappeared. One second they were on the couch and the next he was gone, not even bothered with how excited for him everybody had been.

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

James turned quickly back to face El. “If you’d rather be at the party that’s fine. Go ahead. Just don’t drag me into it, and tell me if you want to change plans. Now go to the party or do whatever the hell you want. Don’t drag me places I clearly don’t want to be.” He turned back around and continued walking. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going. Away from the party and all those people. Away from El.

“When did I make it seem like I wanted change plans?” She was visibly confused and shrinking fast at his tone. When he started to walk away, Eloise continued to follow behind him. “I wouldn’t have suggested the picnic in the first place if I didn’t want to spend time with you. I’m sorry I got a little side-tracked; everybody kept talking to me and dancing and... I should have left to find you earlier, I’m sorry.”

[chaser-el]

eldest-potter:

James didn’t want to join her on the couch. He didn’t even want to be in the center in the room with her. But he was dragged up there, where everyone could see him. He felt his breath quicken and his heart beat faster. There were so many people. James didn’t think the common room could fit so many people. And they were all staring at him. He didn’t catch what El said or what everyone was cheering, too overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. He probably looked awkward standing up there. They would all probably talk about him afterwards. James got down from the couch towards the end of all the noise, and he weaved his way out of the common room, not bothering to check if El was following or not.

Eloise gave the biggest grin, soaking it all in. When she looked next to her, expecting to see James with a big smile on his face for once, she was surprised to find him missing. Her brows furrowed as she scanned the crowd, gaze only falling upon the familiar carrot top as he snuck out the door. She hopped down from the couch, running through the crowd with little regard for who she bumped into. “Hey,” she shouted. “James,” Eloise pushed the door open, following behind him down the stairs as quickly as her feet would carry her (and her slightly, alcohol-ridden brain would allow her to go without falling). “James! Wait up! Where are you going? Slow down!”