Y/N is crouched over the toilet in the back of the local dive bar. She’s doing her best to keep her balance but between the high heels, the alcohol she consumed and the small surface of the toilet seat, she knows it’s only a matter of time before her foot lands in something she doesn’t want to think about. She’s staring at the screen of her phone, an unknown number glaringly white against the black drop of her dial page. The girl who had been in the bathroom when she rushed in had taken one look at her face and understood the situation and offered this number, stating that it’s a group of guys from uni that are happy to offer their protection to anyone who feels unsafe after the sun goes down.
I don’t need anyone to save me,she thinks but then, her traitorous mind supplies her with images of the man who’s probably waiting for her outside the women’s bathroom. Her thumb quickly presses the green icon.
——-
“James, mate, wake up.”
With a groan, the man in questions stirs, trying to ignore his best friend. He opens one eye, attempting to focus on his surroundings but failing because of the dark and lack of glasses. “What do you want, Remus?”
The other man rolls his eyes, pulling the covers away from James’ body and ignoring the boy’s protests. “Our services are needed.”
Those words make all protests and bad mood evaporate. James sits up immediately, reaching for his glasses and slipping them on. “How long ago?”
Remus smiles at the protective tone his friend’s voice takes whenever this happens. He’s proud of how much James has grown since he’s met him at the tender age of eleven. “Not long, maybe five minutes. I’d go myself but Sirius is pretty sick and you know how he gets…” they share a knowing smirk, pictures of a sick and pouty Sirius filling their minds. “I’d ask Pete but he’s out on a date so that leaves you.”
James is out of bed before Remus finishes speaking, gathering the cleanest clothes he can find littered around his floor. “Where are they?”
“She’s at the Three Broomsticks. Her name is Y/N and she’s locked in one of the stalls of the women’s washroom.” Remus presses on their communal phone’s screen and turns it towards James, “Y/N is the one with the y/c/h and black top. The guy might still be right outside the door of the bathroom. You can either text or call her, hers is the last number that called.”
James nods, pocketing the phone and heading towards the door, “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home.”
“Be careful, Prongs.”
James grins and shoots a wink over his shoulder, “Always am, Moony!”
——-
It doesn’t take long for James to reach the dive bar. It’s nearly three thirty am but being a Friday night, he isn’t surprised to see the area in front of the entrance full of students loitering around sharing fags and laughs. He quickly enters the pub, a cloud of smoke following him and stops for a moment to shoot Y/N a text, letting her know that he’s just arrived and making his way to towards the restrooms.
Thank you so much for coming! The man I’m trying to avoid is tall and bulky and has gray hair and is plain creepy.The response comes in within seconds and James smiles despite the situation at hand. Even though he’s been doing this since his first year, he still can’t comprehend how some people are incapable of respecting someone else’s decision, making them feel so unsafe that they have to call in some stranger to rescue them. Now more than ever, James is glad that he has his act together and that his reputation as a mischievous yet good person precedes him.
It doesn’t take him long to spot the man Y/N was describing and it takes all his self control to not confront him. Ignoring the other man, James slips into the women’s washroom, making sure to lean against the door with all his weight. He hears shuffling from one of the stalls, and trying to be as reassuring as possible, he calls out for Y/N.
A few seconds later, a face pops out from one of the cubicles and James tries to smile reassuringly. Y/N eyes him wearily, “James?”
James nods, “Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I’m here to escort you home.” He knows that at the best of times, he’s an oblivious wanker but only a blind mind wouldn’t be able to see the palpable relief on the girl’s face when she notices him there.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” Y/N says as she tries to find her footing again, having spent the last twenty-three minutes squatting while in heels makes her unsteady. James offers his hand, letting her grip it tightly as she rises to her full height. “When that girl said that there was a group of guys that always come when you call, I thought she was setting me up.”
James raises his eyebrows, eyes glancing down at their conjoined hands. Girls in these situations tend to stand a few feet away from him, at least in the beginning, still afraid that he was going to hand them over to whomever was harassing them. “Then why’d you call?”
Y/N looks in to his eyes, and James finds himself a bit breathless for some reason. “Because not all men are bad and I need to have a bit of faith in the world.”
James grins, squeezing her hand before letting go. “I’m glad you called. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Y/N tilts her head to the side, studying him for a moment before smiling back. “I believe you.”
James’ grin grows brighter. He pushes himself off the door, “I don’t know if he’s still out there but my plan is to play the part of your boyfriend so that, even if he is still here, he’s less likely to try anything.” Y/N makes a face, one that James has seen many times before. He shrugs, grimacing. “I know. It’s bloody ridiculous that men only back off when a girl is taken. However, tonight we are going to use this to our advantage.”
Y/N nods, wringing her hands nervously in front of her, “How?”
“If you’re comfortable with it, I’m going to wrap my arm around your waist until we’re a few blocks away.”
Once again, the girl nods. She wobbles a bit as she moves towards him, and James gently grips her forearms to prevent her from falling. She gives him a sheepish smile, “I’m normally really good on heels, but between the drinks, the squatting and the adrenaline finally wearing off, these things are death traps.”
James shakes his head, smiling softly at her. “I get it, really. I’ve been so drunk I could barely stand, and I was just wearing flats.”
Y/N laughs, letting James wrap his arm around her waist and tucking her into his side. He lets her lean heavily against his body as they start walking and he gives her hip a gentle squeeze. A reminder that he’s there for her and will keep her safe. With a sigh, she reaches one hand out to open the door and wraps the other one around his waist.
The creep is still there, leaning against the wall across from the door as the two exit and Y/N feels a cold sweat break across her skin. James holds grows tighter as he drops his head so that he can whisper in her ear. “It’s going to be fine. I’ve got you.” She can feel his lips graze her ear even through her hair and the shiver that now runs down her spine is for an entirely different reason.
The man pushes himself from the wall, taking a menacing step forward but James doesn’t let it phase him. He knows what he looks like and he knows how to make himself look menacing. He stares the man down, arm still securely around Y/N but he knows that if he has to, it will take less than a second to push Y/N behind him.
“Can we help you?” James keeps his tone cheery, a fake smile on his lips but his posture and eyes let the whole room know that he is not to be messed with.
“No” is the reply and Y/N finds herself holding on tighter to James.
James’ fake smile only gets bigger, “Grand. Then if you don’t mind, my girl and I would love to be on our way.”
Without waiting for a reply, he quickly escorts the girl out of the hallway, “Keep looking ahead.” He instructs as they push through the crowded pub to get to the exit.
Y/N does as he says and when the cool night air hits her warm skin, she sighs in relief. She’s quick to steer them in the direction of the flat she shares with her friends and James, true to his words, drops the arm from her waist when they make it three blocks from the pub and there is no sign that they are being followed.
They walk in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and it feels as if only a few seconds have passed when they stop before the door of her building.
“Thank you, James,” she turns to look at him, hands wrapping around her stomach as the feelings of the evening start hitting her full force, “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”
He grins at her, ruffling his hair before shoving his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. It makes his chest appear larger and he doesn’t miss the way Y/N’s eyes rank his form. He feels blood rushing to his cheeks, “All in a night’s work. Save the number, although I really hope you never need it again.”
A part of him hopes that she does need, if just to see her again.
Y/N nods, placing a hand on his shoulder as she swiftly lets her lips graze his cheek. “Thank you. Have a good night, James.”
“You too, Y/N.”
James watches her enter the building before he turns around and starts the trek back towards his own flat.
——
Y/N really thought that she would never need to use James’ number again, even though she really wanted an excuse to see him again. There’s something about his reassuring presence and his smile that ties her stomach into knots. She’d love to see him again and get to know him.
Y/N tries not to dwell on the fact that it’s been well over a month and James has most likely forgotten all about her, him being a knight in shining armour and whatnot but a girl can dream. And she does. A lot. Every day. And night.
Y/N really does think she’ll never see him again when, at the end of a closing shift at the small coffee shop on campus, through the glass windows, she can see the same man from the pub hanging around. She almost regrets telling Gideon he could leave early but she knows how much studying he still needs to get done and as freaked as she is, her heart misses a beat at the thought of seeing James again.
Turning off the backroom lights and working on getting the last of the machines cleaned, she ignores the creep as best she can but when she realizes that he doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving without confronting her, she pulls her phone from her apron and quickly dials James’ number. It only rings a few times before his voice reaches her ears, “‘Lo?”
“James? It’s Y/N.” She sighs in relief at the sound of his voice.
“Oh! Hi!” Y/N fools herself into thinking he’s equally excited to hear from her as she is to call him. “You ok?”
She hesitates only a second but he picks up on it, “Where are you?”
Her shoulders loosen and she feels tears fill her eyes, “I work at the small cafe on campus, right next to the library.”
“Lucky for you, I just got kicked out of the library because it’s closing time.” James chuckles at himself, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder as he quickens his pace. “Are there any customers or coworkers with you?”
Y/N shakes her head, “No, we closed about thirty minutes ago and I let Gid go home early.”
James speeds up, willing his legs to carry him faster, “It’s okay. I can stay on the phone with you.”
Y/N finally lets the tears fall along her cheeks, “It’s the same man as last time.”
James’ steps falter at her admission, the revelation only making him want to get there quicker, “Do you know him?”
“I’ve seen him around a few times.” She admits, moving behind the counter so she has a better view of the door. “He came to the cafe before and flirted with me and other girls but I don’t even know his name. I don’t understand why -”
“There’s nothing to understand.” James cuts her off, having to stop at a red light. He taps his foot impatiently and checks both sides before dashing across the street. “You did nothing wrong and he’s just a creep. I’m only a block or so away. Are you ready to leave?”
Y/N puts the phone on speaker and rests it on the clean surface. “Basically, yeah. I cleaned everything and I’m grabbing my stuff as we speak. All I need to do is turn off the lights and lock up.”
James smiles when he sees the coffee shop, “Grand! I can see the sign so you can go ahead and start turning everything off. I’ll be at the door when you reach it.”
“Do you mind staying on the line until I’m actually with you?” James hates how afraid she sounds. He doesn’t know her and has helped so many students throughout the years, yet something about Y/N makes him feel more protective than ever before.
“Of course not.” He’s quick to reassure her, “I’m here and I see the wanker. Come out whenever you’re ready, love.”
Y/N feels her face heat up at the pet name, and enjoys it much more than she should. Turning off the lights, she rushes towards the door, unlocking it before closing it behind her. She smiles in relief when James comes to stand right next to her, eyes narrowed at the retreating form of the man. Her hands shake as she tries to get the key into the lock and she jumps when a pair of warm hands cover hers. “Let me,” James whispers, taking the keys from her hand. He doesn’t move away from her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he locks the door. Y/N’s shaking and she lets herself be comforted by his warmth. James turns slightly, bringing her in for a hug and Y/N grabs a fistful of his jacket as she starts crying.
“I’m sorry,” she says between sobs, “I’m not usually like this.”
James smiles sadly, rubbing her back and squeezing her tightly, “You have nothing to apologize for.”
They stand like that for a good amount of time: James with his arms around her and soothing words, Y/N with her face crushed against his shoulder as she tries to stop crying. With an arm still keeping her close to his chest, James pulls out his phone and makes a call.
Y/N can feel his chest vibrate with the words he’s speaking but she isn’t really aware of what’s being said. She trusts James. He will make sure she makes it home safely. Both his arms are around her again and she’s finally starting to relax when a car’s horn makes her jump and cling to James even harder.
James doesn’t laugh as she expects him to. He just holds on to her. “It’s just my mate Remus. He’s going to give us a lift. He’s actually the one you spoke to on the phone last time.”
Y/N keeps her face hidden against his shoulder as she mumbles “He is?”
James nods, trying to get her to walk towards the car, “Yeah. Gentle giant really.”
Y/N finally looks up and James smiles sadly at her tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes, “Don’t let him know that I’m finally admitting this, but he’s taller than I am.”
James is rewarded with her laughter. She takes a step back, wiping her cheeks to rid any evidence of tears, “You keep saving me, I think I can keep this secret for you.”
James grins, gently taking her hand in his as he leads her towards the car idling by the curb. He opens the door for her, letting her settle before sitting beside her. He nods towards his friends in the front seats.
Remus turns around to give her a gentle smile, and if he sees the signs of her breakdown, he doesn’t acknowledge it. “Where to?”
Y/N rattles off her address, relaxing against the seat as the boys introduce themselves. None of them comment on what happened, doing their best to make her laugh and in no time at all, they’re pulling up in front of her building. Just like the previous time, James follows her to the door, patiently waiting as her shaky hands look for her keys in her bag. As she unlocks the door, James places a hand on her arm, making her turn to face him. He just smiles, reaching for his own bag.
Fuck it, he thinks as he reaches for a notepad and pen. Scribbling something on the bottom corner of the first page he opens it to, he rips it and passes it to her. She gives him a questioning look and James blushes. “It’s my personal phone number.” He explains, rubbing the back of his head, “The number you call is an old one and me and the lads take turns with it.”
Y/N smiles, pocketing his number, secretly thrilled. “And why are you giving me your personal number?”
James’ blush seems to intensify but he keeps looking her in the eyes, a lopsided smile tugging his lips upwards, “You seem to have a knack for getting yourself in trouble and well, I figured you felt comfortable enough 'round me.”
Just like last time, Y/N kisses his cheek gently, “Thank you, James.”
He nods, smiling and starts backing away, eyes still on her as she goes to enter her building. She stops when he calls out her name. She turns and sees him grinning at her, hands deep in his back pockets, “If you wanted to text or call even when you’re not in need of saving, I’d be more than happy to hear from you.”
Y/N laughs, returning his grin, “I’ll keep that in mind!”
——-
As much as they’ve been texting and speaking on the phone, Y/N and James have yet to have time for an actual date though both know that’s what they want. Even if they don’t hang out alone one-on-one, James and his friends had started coming to the cafe regularly. They’re friends now, hanging out together, studying as a group. She just wishes she could get some alone time with the guy she’s pining after. They had even taken to walking her home, as well as having her over for dinner and drinks. Y/N had never had a group of friends, always preferring to hang out with one or two friends max, but James and the lads made being around them so easy and natural.
The coffee shop is scheduled to close in an hour and most of the patrons are taking their leave as Gideon starts closing off the machinery, cleaning them in the process and Y/N starts wiping down the empty tables and taking the garbage out.
There are only four tables occupied at the moment: one with James and his friends, one with Gideon’s brother and their friends, and the other two had students finishing up a study group. As Y/N makes her rounds, warning everyone present that they’d be closing shortly, James couldn’t help but stare at her.
“Isn’t she just gorgeous?” He asks dreamily, ignoring his friends’ eye rolls.
“Just ask her out. Put us out of our misery.” Begs Sirius.
This had been the only topic of conversation for the past month and all the boys are fed up with his pining.
“It’s complicated.”
“It’s really not. You like her, she likes you. Go snog her so we can end this endless pining. ” Remus shrugs, earning himself a glare.
“You think I don’t want to?” James runs a hand through his hair, finally glancing away from Y/N. “What if you’re wrong?”
The boys burst out laughing and when James yells that it’s not that funny, tears spring from their eyes as they hunch over the table. Y/N glances their way, a confused expression on her face and James wishes that the ground would swallow him whole. He slides lower in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and cheeks in flames. He was going to get back at them.
Y/N comes by, hugging him from behind and letting her chin rest on top of his messy hair, “What’s so funny?”
James glares at his friends, kicking Sirius in the shin when he saw him open his mouth, “Nothing, love. We were just taking the piss out of James.”
Y/N’s eyes light up, “Can I join?”
James huffs, shaking his head so she’s forced to let go to not get hit, “Fuck all of you.” When he notices the look on Remus’ face, he points one finger menacingly at him, “Not a fucking word, Lupin.”
Y/N giggles, shaking her head, “As amusing as this could be, you lads have to leave. It’s closing time.”
They gather their things between laughter and shoves and as they exit the shop, Y/N hot on their heels to lock up, James turns around to kiss her cheek, “Meet you out front in thirty?”
She blushes, nodding her head, “Yeah, thanks.”
He winks at her, “My pleasure.”
——-
Y/N hates parties. She almost hates them as much as she hates her best friend that had dragged her to said party. That same friend who had promised to stick by her side yet disappeared about thirty minutes after they arrived to get dicked down.
Not that Y/N’s jealous. She isn’t. She just hates parties and she hates standing alone in a corner, sipping her non-alcoholic beverage because she promised to be designated driver. She’s almost tempted to text James, but things have been a bit weird ever since the boys had mocked him at the café the other day.
With a sigh, Y/N looks for a spot where she can sit and scroll mindlessly through her phone until her friend decides she’s ready to leave. I need new friends.She locates an empty spot on the couch when someone throws an arm around her shoulder.
A familiar voice reaches her ears and she turns to stare at James, wide-eyed and confused, “What?”
James smiles at her, though his eyes look a bit panicked, “Just pretend to be my date.”
Y/N laughs but shuffles closer to him, sliding an arm around his waist, “Can I ask why?”
James chuckles, smiling softly at her. “Because my friends are wankers and some bird won’t leave me the fuck alone.” He kisses her temple and relishes in the fact that he can act as he always wants too around her.
Y/N melts into his side, squeezing his side. “Guess it’s finally time to return the favor huh?”
James grins down at her, and he finds himself thanking his younger self for this brilliantly stupid idea of walking drunk students home. He’s about to say as much, ready to shoot his shot when the same girl he was trying to get away from suddenly appears in his line of sight.
Y/N laughs at his pout, making him glare at her, “It isn’t funny!”
Y/N kisses his cheek, enjoying the feeling of it heating up beneath her lips, “You’ve got to admit, it kind of is.”
“All of my friends are assholes.” He mutters and the girl stands in front of them, glaring at Y/N. On her part, Y/N just smiles, snuggling closer to James.
“Can we help you?” It reminds him of the first time they met: James speaking those words to the man that caused their meeting.
The girl smiles fakely, “Am I to believe that you two are together?”
Y/N makes a face, “Am I to care about what you believe?”
The girl says nothing, just eyes them both and glares at Y/N. With a roll of her eyes, she turns under James’ arm and gently places a hand on the side of his neck. James gives her a confused look but before he can ask anything, she’s raising on the tips of her toes and pressing her lips gently against his.
The moment seems to last for an eternity and when she pulls back, James feels his mouth fall open as his cheeks feel as if they’re on fire. “D-did you just k-kiss me?”
Y/N’s cheeks are not fairing much better and she bites her bottom lip, hand still on the side of his neck where she can feel his pulse racing. She nods shyly, looking into his eyes as she smiles gently, “I’ve wanted to for a long time.”
James finally snaps out of his stupor, grinning as he wraps both arms around her and spinning her around, sending her drink flying. They both laugh, and when he finally sets her down, he gently cups her face and kisses her again. And again. And again.
“I’m so glad you did,” he says a bit breathlessly.
Y/N grins, arms wrapping around his shoulders as she starts playing with hair at the nape of his neck, “Are we finally going to have our date now?”
“Name a time and place, love.” James grins and kisses her again.
James is sure that nothing will ever feel top this moment. Well, maybe their wedding day might, but that’s still awhile away.
“We’re in a damn war!” Remus growls, blood pounding in his ears as he takes a step closer to Sirius. “It’ll be the end of us all! I’m not taking part in it anymore, I’ve had enough.”
At his last words, Sirius shakes his head and huffs out a cold laugh, echoing against the high stone walls surrounding them.
“I should’ve known it was you,” he says, voice vibrating with anger, grabbing Remus by the collar. “Bloody traitor. You’ve been sharing our plans with them all along, haven’t you? Tried to end things a little bit quicker to get your sorry arse out of danger, is that it? Coward!”
Despite being cold and wet to his skin, all Remus feels is hot, boiling anger. Wrenching himself free from Sirius’s grip, he throws them both around to pin Sirius against the wall.
“You idiot, s'not me. In fact,” he grumbles, fingers squeezing tight around Sirius’s wrists, “I believe it’s you. Sided with your little brother after all, didn’t you?”
“Fuck you!” Sirius roars, foot slipping away underneath him. “Why the hell would I have warned the Slytherins? The ambush was my idea to start with.”
“Well, I didn’t tell them, so it must’ve been you! How would they have turned it against us otherwise?”
The door next to them swings open and Remus looks up - a mistake. Sirius sees his chance and tackles him to the ground, locking an arm around his neck.
“Mr Black, let go of Mr Lupin. Now.”
They both look up. McGonagall stands on the threshold, lips pressed together in a thin line while she takes in the scene in front of her - the greenish puddles of thick slime on the corridor floor soaking into their uniforms.
“Detention for trying to prank the Slytherins, again,” she says, voice stern. Then, with the faintest hint of a smile, she adds: ”And may I suggest to keep your future plans out of earshot from the house-elves? They do love a good laugh themselves, after all.”
