✿ CHAPTER THREE✿

( ANGELICA GOLDHORN )

CHAPTER THREE: STUDY DATE?

"𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞" james said in slight shock as he sat at the table in the kitchen with a stack of pancakes draped in syrup with chocolate pieces sprinkled on top in front of him. it was past midnight as the boy had left his room for his usual midnight snack.

angelica stood in front of him with a glass of apple juice, taking a seat across from the boy "you thought i wouldn't?" she asked taking a sip and letting a refreshed breath leave her throat.

"you had no obligation to" the boy pointed out taking a forkful of pancake to his mouth, the syrup slightly hitting the side of his mouth before he wiped it with the back of his hand. angelica eyed the plate of high pancakes with a raised eyebrow in question.

"what?" he asked, continuing to eat the fluffy pancakes. angelica had not eaten pancakes since she were ten, when she'd gone for brunch with her grandparents, her mother mentioned she not eat them again afterwards thinking it to be too fatty.

"nothing" she shrugged, eyeing down the plate. the boy noticed and placed his fork down before pushing the plate towards her offering her some. she shook her head to dismiss before pulling a face "i've forgotten what they taste like" she mentioned.

james scrunched his eyebrows before pulling a face for her to continue "there are certain foods my mother thought to be bad for my figure, pancakes being one" she shrugged as if it were completely normal to restrict someones eating like that.

james didn't like what the girl had just told him and cut a piece before offering her the fork "i bet you'll like them" he said waving the fork of pancakes covered in syrup in front of her.

she thought about it for a second before saying fuck it to herself, she took the fork and bit the three pieces of pancake off. syrup slightly staining the side of her mouth, something she didn't notice.

they were really fluffy she realised before a small smile set itself on her face as she swallowed them. she had missed pancakes she realised going to cut herself another piece off the boys plate not even bothering to ask.

james excused himself from the table quickly going to grab another fork and knife and a piece of tissue before returning and pulling the plate back from her momentarily.

angelica realised she'd just began eating his food without asking and began apologising before the boy waved her forward slightly, using the tissue to wipe the side of her mouth casually. the action seeming intimate to anyone if they'd had seen, but neither of the two really processed it quick enough to think too much of it.

james dug back in before nodding to the plate for her to do the same, she smiled before taking another bite, and another and another.

the two sat there with a stack of pancakes and then another for another hour or so, not exchanging many words but just enjoying eachother's company, plus the fluffy food.

*＊✿❀

"what happened to you last night? you're usually back by one" sirius said as the marauders boys got ready for the day in their room, excluding peter who lay asleep in his bed.

"oh i was speaking with goldie" james said not realising he'd called her by the nickname he'd given her, trying to mess his hair up perfectly in the mirror not paying attention to his friends.

"goldie?" remus asked as he fixed his tie well also brushing his teeth, not knowing anyone by the name of 'goldie'.

"oh, angelica" james said turning to the boys for approval for his hair, when he didn't receive it and only got shocked faces he immediately turned back to the mirror to see what was the matter with his hair, noticing nothing wrong.

"you were with angelica, doing what?" sirius asked the boy basically all but jumping on him after leaping across the room. a large grin was on the long-haired boys face as he grabbed his best friend by the shoulders.

"we just ate some pancakes, calm down" james said irritated throwing the boy off him, thinking it too early to be acting that way. it was only seven in his defence.

"you ate pancakes?" remus asked in disbelief from his spot as he finished doing up his tie, the statement sounding absurd to the boy. he was out for two hours eating pancakes with angelica goldhorn. he must've been joking.

"yeah in the kitchens" james shrugged before picking up his books and going to exit the room, "i'm meant to be meeting her for breakfast" he said quickly knowing his friends would have questions trying to leave the room quickly.

on his way to the great hall he bumped into mary who looked half-asleep, her hair done with no effort obviously and a singular book in her arms and her robe crinkled.

"morning, potter" the girl yawned as she walked besides him. whatever she was doing last night let its effect show james thought to himself.

"i would say morning, but you look ready to fall asleep right here" he told the girl fixing her robe which had slightly started to drop off her shoulder, he laughed to himself slightly.

"i was up until three trying to do this defence against the dark arts essay, and i still don't even think it's good enough to not get a detention" mary complained as she tried to show the boy the rolled up parchment paper.

james smirked already having an idea in his head, before he could speak though mary interrupted him noticing the look he had.

"no" she said simply trying to walk ahead, "but-" the boy tried before she repeated her first answer "hes best in the year, probably the whole school!" he tried to argue knowing he'd be able to convince her eventually.

"he'll try and kill me!" the girl protested as the two entered the great hall, james shooting angelica a smile as soon as he noticed her sitting at the gryffindor table.

"you know he'd never" james began debating with the girl, thinking he was doing his bestfriend a favour. if he was able to get mary to agree to a study date with sirius the boy would be rolling around like a dog getting their belly scratched, quite literally.

"i cannot do it alone, i might end up poking my eye out with my quill" the macdonald girl laughed squeezing angelica's hand from across the table as james took a seat besides the gold girl.

"me and angelica will come" the boy said before even turning to see if the girl was fine with the idea, mary found herself tilting her head at the two's sudden closeness. she was sure james was set on lily, so what was this she was seeing?

"angelica will come to what?" the girl questioned wanting to know what she'd been dragged into as she ate her small plate of pancakes oblivious to what was going on.

"you got pancakes" james said with a smile before stealing her fork and taking a bite before continuing with a mouthful "to study defence against the dark arts with mary and sirius" he smiled once swallowing at her.

angelica didn't know why she found it so hard to say no to the boy, taking her fork back from the boy as though this was a normal thing they did. she didn't need help in defence against the dark arts in all honesty, so why did she have to be there?

she gave the potter boy a look as though she were asking him the question without actually having to ask "i'll have you with transfiguration" he offered as he went to take her fork again, her arm retreating backwards so he couldn't.

"all seven pages?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't agree to all of that. or at least he shouldn't if he wanted to keep his sanity.

"yes" he said simply , his answer shocking both girl that it gave him time to grab the fork and take another bite "you need more chocolate on these" he pointed out before handing her fork back and going to get up. "i'll see you two later, at the black lake" he smiled at the two, before making his exit.

"what was that?" mary asked as soon as james was out of hearing range, the whole conversation having her confused. especially how cosy they seemed when sharing the pancakes.

"i really do not know" angelica said as if she were just as confused as her bestfriend. deep down though she didn't find the pancakes situation weird, but the having to study with mary and sirius the most confusing part.

*＊✿❀

"and she said yes, willingly?" sirius asked as him and james made their way to the black lake in their quidditch uniforms just having finished practice. they both looked a mess to be honest but that didn't stop the girls of hogwarts giving them googly eyes and flirtatious smiles.

"well it's not like i forced her" james tried to explain, not mentioning how he agreed to help angelica with her homework, only saying she'd be joining them the three of them.

"and angelica?" sirius asked noticing the two girls sat by the black lake, well mary lying back and angelica sitting forward a bit too close to the lake for either boys liking.

"i'm helping her with her homework, her seven pages of homework" the boy said with a sigh, only realising what he agreed to after he'd left the great hall. he didn't have any work to do himself though he thought.

"ladies, have you missed us?" sirius asked in a cocky tone as he threw his arms up the closer they approached the two girls.

mary barely acknowledged him waving a hand from her position and angelica offered a smile, allowing her teeth to be on display. james noticed she didn't have dimples but she had smile lines which stretched all around her mouth, they made her look really pretty.

the mixed girl stood from her spot, still dangerously close to the lake before the potter boy made his way over to her grabbing her hand lightly leading her towards the other two, no words exchanged.

she noticed his fingers were still rough like when she first shook his hand, she assumed it was from quidditch and his broomstick. this was the first time she really took acknowledgment towards the boy and his actions, his hand felt nice in hers despite the callousness of his palm. james didn't drop his hand from hers as he let their hands rest in between the two as they stood besides sirius who only stood above mary watching the girl stare at the tree above her.

"i know you've missed me" sirius smiled, an actual smile, not one sign of arrogance as he looked down at mary. the gryffindor girl went to kick her leg thinking she'd hit the boy but instead hit air as she misssed.

"in your dreams" she retorted in reply, finally opening her eyes and making eye contact with him and only him.

"you are always in my dreams" he tried flirting with the girl, a hint of honesty in his tone. it wasn't everyday but it was a constant thing to find the brunette in his dreams. he stuck a hand out in front of him before she grabbed it and allowed him to pull her into a sitting position.

he allowed himself to sit besides her, the two now facing angelica and james but more specifically their interlinked hands. it was though there was an unspoken agreement at that moment between the two, one saying 'they have to end up together'

"lets get started then shall we" angelica smiled at her three friends as she plopped down and pulled out her seven pages of work james had agreed to help her with.

"you better help me" mary said turning to sirius, not wanting the boy to sabotage her grades in any way as a joke.

"that is why i'm here" she said throwing an arm around her shoulder, one she did not push off this time. if she had to admit it, which she'd never, it was comforting.

*＊✿❀

"angelica!" sirius yelled as he chased the girl around the lake, trying to grab her wand. she'd just learnt the colour change charm and had turnt his hair a ghastly shade of green. she found it to be fun to try out her spells on the boy, him getting easily frustrated.

she yelped as he tackled her to the floor, making sure to not land on top of her, the two rolling around as he continued trying to reach for her wand.

it had just gotten dark outside, the time being half-past eight. james noted they should begin making their way back inside to clean up before dinner.

"i think it quite suits him" mary said absent-mindedly as she giggled watching the two in the distance. james looked at her watching how she watched sirius, the two could claim they hated the other as much as they wanted but it couldn't be more obvious what the truth was.

"i think his hair could reach his feet and you'd say that" james laughed making mary give the boy a 'be serious' look, but not letting herself disagree. she could admit sirius was insanely attractive.

"think it's time we head back" james suggested as he began packing up angelica's homework for her before offering a hand to help mary up. the boy was well mannered, something everyone noticed. it's usually what made most of the girl at hogwarts quite literally swoon over him.

"don't need to tell me that, it's those two" she said nodding towards the two, angelica now going through the spell trying to change his hair back to its original colour struggling to get the correct shade.

james did a small jog towards the two, pulling his wand out and fixing his bestfriends hair for him before he quite literally burst out into tears. "finally!" the black boy gasped in relief before sending a warning look to angelica causing the girl to hold in her laughter till he'd walked away.

"shall we?" james asked offering her his hand, her work already in his arms. she tilted her head and smiled before accepting the hand and skipping ahead of him, basically dragging him back towards the castle.

"you wreak" the girl said not turning to look at the boy, the stench from quidditch finally making an appearance as he rolled his eyes but consciously made a note to not stretch his arms too far.

"and you're slow" he said as a large smile began to make its way towards his face, she didn't have time to question what he meant before he was rushing towards her picking her up and running ahead with her in his hold to the side of his body. she basically weighed nothing to the boy so it wasn't hard for him to pick up his pace.

the two's laughs mixed together nicely as sirius and mary watched them with smiles, now more sure than before that something was going to go on between the two.

you don't laugh with a person like that and not fall in love.