r e d roses {bella/open}

[mrpotter]

The school year was already drawing to a close, James could still hardly believe that it had gone by so quickly. He was still a bit disappointed in himself for getting injured in May's match against Hufflepuff, costing them the match, although it was hardly his fault. James, after all, wasn't a beater, and the injury to his shoulder had been significant enough to pull him out of the game. In thinking about it, James momentarily touched his shoulder with his right hand.

James loved magic, instead of facing months it had taken only an afternoon to mend his shoulder- plus two days afterwards in a sling to make sure he wouldn't re-break the bones. James paused in his walk in front of the rose bushes, his bluish-green eyes tracing every bright red flower. As summer was almost upon them they were full, open wide. James smiled a bit, paying no mind to the sound of approaching footsteps.

[gooddontalwayswin]

Bella wasn't surprised to find that James Potter was in his favorite place yet again: the garden. A half-smile crossed her face as she approached her latest friend. She was glad that his injury sustained in the last Quidditch match hadn't been too serious, though obviously it had hurt. But James seemed to be fine now, so Bella was grateful.

"Hello James," Bella said quietly once she was within speaking distance. She followed James' eyes to the rose bushes, where the bright red flowers were opening up toward the sun. The gardens had become a somewhat familiar place for James and Bella, now that they had both figured out the other liked to walk there. Bella was glad for company though; she got tired of being alone after a while.

[mrpotter]

James' smile widened when he heard Bella's voice, the two of them had become friends over the past few months. Friendship was almost an alien thing to him, for most people, once the novelty of knowing a Potter wore off left him alone. Outside of family, James would only consider Bellatrix and Zahra to be his friends. He was a loner by nature, but even loners need company sometimes. "Hello Bella," said James, turning to greet his friend with the last bit of his smile.

[gooddontalwayswin]

Bella smiled as James greeted her. She had been surprised over the past few months at how she had managed to befriend a Potter, but Bella supposed it was only natural that they be friends- they were in the same House after all. "How are you today?" Bella asked, a usual greeting for her. Bella could see that he was no longer wearing a sling on his arm, which was a good thing, since the injury in the Quidditch match had looked rather painful. It had been a pretty brutal match, though. The Hufflepuff seeker had also gotten injured, as had their captain. Bella counted herself lucky to be mostly unscathed.

[mrpotter]

James shrugged, once again finding himself void of emotion. He wondered what it was like, being one of his average peers, to feel. "I'm okay, I guess," said James, lightly fingering one of the flowers, its petals smooth and silky, "how are you?" James looked upwards toward the sky, it was a nice day, barely a cloud in the sky. There wouldn't be any rain that afternoon.

[gooddontalwayswin]

Bella shrugged as well, not sure what to say at this point. "The same as always, I suppose," she said at last, just in time for what would be considered a normally timed response. "I guess I'm feeling a bit better now that the weather's getting nicer." Bella did feel like the coming of sunshine had brightened her mood a bit. It had been a long time since she had felt any spark of optimism, but the sun was waking her up ever so slowly.

[mrpotter]

"Yeah," James agreed, "it's nice to not have rain all of the time." Although soon the weather would become a bit too hot for his liking, and he would begin to spend most of his time indoors instead. James released the flower, watching it draw away from his hand. He wondered why it was the roses of all things that reminded him most of his mother, but supposed he would never know the reason.

[gooddontalwayswin]

"Yes, it is," Bella replied simply, nodding slightly. She was glad that it wasn't raining, perhaps simply because the atmosphere then had been so depressing. In the sunlight, Bella felt better, even it it was only a slight change. "The roses look beautiful," Bella commented, reaching out to touch one of the flowers.

[mrpotter]

James nodded, wishing that his mother would be able to see them. Even if it would just make her jealous of the fact that her own would never look as nice. "They remind me of my mum," said James quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets. That was the first time he had mentioned his mother since her death, it felt strange, as if he shouldn't do it. He frowned a bit, though he didn't feel that pang in his heart at the thought of her anymore. Perhaps now he was finally healing.

[gooddontalwayswin]

Bella touched the rose petals for a moment, then released the flower and turned back to James, not entirely sure what to say. "Did she have roses?" Bella asked somewhat delicately. She wasn't sure how to approach the subject of James' mother. Bella, of course, knew how she had been killed, but up until now, James hadn't really mentioned her at all.

[mrpotter]

"Yeah," said James, "There were bushes in the front of the house, they're still there, probably dead now, though." He looked down at his shoes, then up at the roses, and then finally back to Bellatrix before speaking again. "She always tried so hard to get them to look nice, but they would always wilt by July. It used to make her so frustrated," James added, a small smile coming to his lips once more.