hiraeth - james potter x OC

snape and malfoy are little shits

- fourth year

Elle was walking in the hallway with James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter when Snape showed up.

"Hey, slut! How are all your boyfriends treating you?" he teased, all his friends bursting out into laughter.

"Severus!" Lily said in disbelief, her mouth open in shock. James advanced towards Snape, and so did Elle.

"Aw, how cute," Snape said, smirking. "The whore's girlfriend coming to save her."

James lunged at him, but Elle grabbed his arm and held him back. "James, stop. It's fine. He's not worth it. Please."

James reluctantly nodded and backed off of Snape, who sneered. "Aw, he listens to you. That's sweet."

"Ignore him, James," Elle said, pulling him away. She turned to Lily, who looked shocked. "That's a great best friend you have there, Lily. You can't keep defending him."

Elle took off to the common room, as she was done with classes anyways.

-

A few days later, the Marauders decided to throw a party in the common room. Elle and James went down to the kitchen to get firewhiskey and food, while Remus and Sirius set up for the party, and Peter slept.

A few hours later, the Gryffindor common room was packed and partying.

Elle sat on the couch in between James and Remus, and Sirius was dancing across the room. Elle's glass of firewhiskey rested in between her legs, barely touched. She stared at the ground, her eyes filled with an expression James and Remus couldn't quite read.

"You don't drink much, do you?" James joked.

Elle shrugged. "I don't know. My old best friend, Finn. His dad was sort of an alcoholic, so he hated all that stuff. Parties too."

"Your old best friend? What happened?" James asked, but the look on Elle's face told him it was the wrong question to ask.

"He um, shot himself last February," Elle said quietly. "While I was here, actually. Kinda wish he had left a note, you know?"

James and Remus looked at each other in shock, not knowing what to say.

"I'm so sorry, Elles," Remus said sadly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" James asked.

Elle shrugged and began picking at her fingernails. "I don't know. I didn't want you guys to get worried or anything. Plus, I didn't exactly know how to bring it up."

A few moments of awkward silence followed before Elle spoke up again. "I think I'm gonna go to bed."

Sirius watched as Elle ran up the stairs, and walked over to James and Remus. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, Padfoot," Remus said, not wanting to share Elle's personal information. "She's just tired."

But James had other ideas. "She said her best friend killed himself last year."

Sirius' lips parted in surprise, and Remus groaned. "James, you don't tell people stuff like that!"

"Sorry," James grumbled, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Where's Elle? Did you guys do something to her?" Lily asked, walking up to the boys.

"No, she just went to bed early," James said defensively.

 Lily raised her eyebrows skeptically, walking towards the dorm staircase. "Elle doesn't go to bed early."

She walked up to the dorm she shared with Elle, who she found laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.