Conspiracy Theories {James}

[helen amelie birch]

Today was not a particularly nice day. The wind was whipping people's hair, and the sky was a stormy gray color, with thunderclouds already forming. Tiny droplets of rain were falling down, landing on the ground gently with rapid 'plop's. Helen saw a couple of fourth years duck for cover, giggling and talking amongst themselves. The rain made most of the people stay inside their homes, Hogwarts, or at least in a shop. Today was not a nice day, indeed.

Helen, however, thought the weather was perfect for the kind of deed she would be doing today, which wasn't a very nice deed, not really. She stood outside the door of the Three Broomstick's, her eyes staring fixedly at the large piece of wood in front of her. Taking a deep breath, Helen opened the door and welcomed the familiar scent of butterbeer and Firewhiskey. Mmm, Firewhiskey. While Helen would normally be up for the harsh alcoholic beverage, if she were to get drunk today, her plans would fall apart.

Well, they weren't really her plans. Actually, the plans were more so that of her close friend, James. See, Helen knew James liked Lily (heck, everyone knew James liked Lily), but Lily didn't seem at all interested in James. But it just so happened that James knew that most girls were prone to jealousy, and Lily was not an exception. Because of a wacky Spin the Bottle game, Helen and James ended up kissing a couple of nights ago (it was a very nice kiss, too), and the expression on Lily's face was simply comical! And James had an idea. It just so happened that Helen was thinking the same thing.

Granted, Helen had ulterior motives (she wasn't a saint, after all). Helen had this enormous crush on a certain Mr. Remus Lupin, and while James wanted to make Lily jealous, Helen wanted to make Remus jealous. And because Helen and James were both lovestruck fools, more or less, they agreed to meet at the Three Broomsticks on the next Hogsmeade weekend.

The weather was simply a perk.

She smiled weakly as she walked up to the Rosmerta, the barkeeper of the tavern. "Two butterbeers, please." Helen requested, her voice as high and sweet as honey. In fact, with her beautiful face and innocent voice, most would think of Helen as an angel. Yes, Helen was a nice girl. But an angel? No.

She quickly grabbed the butterbeers and paid, walking over to the darkest corner of the pub. Nobody really liked to go to the corner of The Three Broomsticks, and that was precisely why Helen chose to sit there. Because for today's business, she would not tolerate any interruptions.

Helen took one of the butterbeers in her hands, sipping it quietly. Helen had always liked butterbeer, much more so than pumpkin juice. But today was a day for scheming and hoaxes and thinking up plots. Today was not for comparing and contrasting pumpkin juice and butterbeer. Smirking slightly to herself, Helen awaited her friend patiently, her thoughts revolving like a Ferris wheel in her head.

- tag : James Potter
- notes : Hehehe. I'm giggling even thinking about this. It's going to be so much fun!
- words : 510
- music : Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescene
- outfit : This!
- credit : template brought to you by THE ACTRESS !. lyrics from IN THE MOURNING by PARAMORE !

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[helen amelie birch]

Helen merely raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You know it's no problem, James. If you'd only have asked, I would have bought you a thousand butterbeers, with money to spare!" Helen didn't normally brag about her richness, but it was true. Helen's family was extraordinarily wealthy. Her father's fortune was humongous, and her mother worked as nurse at St. Mungo's, which surprisingly paid quite well. In terms of money, the Birches only rivals were the Slytherin purebloods. Helen wouldn't have to work for the rest of her life if she so chose, but Helen wasn't like that. She wasn't about to stay home and be a housewife, no matter what happened. If it was up to Helen, she would become an Auror or a professional Quidditch player. Unlikely, but hey, a girl can dream, right?

Helen grinned at the offer of firewhiskey. Goddamn it, James knew her too well. How could she refuse him? But, unfortunately, she had to. Helen was a happy drunk, most fortunately, but in her giggly, euphoric mode of drunkenness, she wouldn't be able to do any plotting. And that was what she came here to do in the first place, right? Also, Helen knew once she had a taste of the harsh liquid, she wouldn't stop until her inevitable fall from consciousness. So no, no firewhiskey for Miss Birch (at least not this time). "Oh, James, you know I'd love to," Helen gushed, "But I can't. We came her to plan, not to drink! That can wait until the party!" She said, smiling and poking James in the stomach. "And that was for even suggesting it!"

Sighing contentedly, she thought, I could stay here forever. It was strange how comfortable and joyously...friendly Helen felt with James. She had nothing but platonic feelings towards him, of course, but they would joke around and poke fun at one another like an old married couple. Helen even heard some jealous girls gossiping about their close friendship! And no, for their information, Helen and James were NOT snogging in that broom closet, simply discussing prank ideas! The nerve! And here she thought that everyone knew about James's undying love for Lily!

Speaking about undying love... should Helen tell James the real reason she agreed to do this? Helen pretty much thought that James had Helen's "little crush" all figured out, so there wouldn't be any harm in telling him, right? Then again, while Helen loved James (as a friend, you nincompoops!), maybe she couldn't trust him. Remus and James were one half of the Marauders: inseperable, simply so close, even closer than James and Helen. James might tell Remus, who would freak out and definitely hate Helen for the rest of her life. Egh. Helen was just going to have to take a chance and hope that James wasn't going to blab to Remus, as he was fully capable of doing. Sigh. Here it goes.

"James...I have to tell you the real reason as to why I came here with you. While I'm sure you have it all figured out...you are James, after all..." Helen paused, smirking at her comrade. "I just thought you'd like to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Just...don't tell him, okay? I like Remus. A lot. And, while I'm also sure he doesn't feel the same way, jealousy is a powerful thing. You understand, right?" Helen finished, resisting the urge to laugh nervously. She looked up at James, who had gotten decidedly taller this past year. "Right?

- tag : James Potter
- notes : I pretty much wrote this whole thing out in my notebook, haha. Sorry if I don't post for a few days, by the way. And yes, the plan commences during the party.
- words : 582
- music : It's Raining Men by Weather Girls
- outfit : This!
- credit : template brought to you by THE ACTRESS !. lyrics from IN THE MOURNING by PARAMORE !

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[helen amelie birch]

James could always make her laugh. Helen always admired that trait in her friend; he could cheer her up almost instantly, although he never really meant to do it. He wasn't Sirius, who was so adorable that whenever she even caught sight of him she would be chuckling. No, James was funny in his own way, and for some reason, Helen loved him for it. So when James smiled at her and told her she could buy his firewhiskey, she couldn't help but grin back. Yes, Helen was perhaps the only person who wouldn't fall for his charms, but she did fall for his charms in one way or another. She would never allow him to do something stupid, and she wouldn't let him go easily if he did do something idiotic (which he was prone to do), and she certainly wasn't infatuated with him! He was like her brother; he was one of the most important people in her life, and she wouldn't be able to live properly if something happened to him. Helen wasn't in love with James, but she did love him.

"Oh so true. At least I'm not as fat as you are!" Helen replied teasingly. James was really anything but fat, but it was fun to tease him about it. Helen simply did not really have a high tolerance for alcohol. She would consume the substance like it was her lifeline whenever she got hold of it. Helen was quite enjoyable when she was drunk, but most definitely not as sane or levelheaded. James, however, had a much higher tolerance for alcohol, but it didn't really matter since he would drink more than Helen and get just as drunk, if not even more drunk than she. Watching James grab hold of his mug and stare at her, Helen wondered what he was thinking about. She looked up at him as well, and their eyes locked. She knew that if she were any other girl, this would be the perfect moment for them to kiss. And if James were any other guy, he would be all over her by now. Thankfully, their relationship wasn't like that. They were able to stare at each other in a way that could have seemed intimate to anyone else, but their gazes were simply warm, not lust-filled or full of love. Whenever Helen would look at James, she would feel nothing but friendship. She wasn't even attracted to him, and it was strange, because James was definitely a good-looking guy. She just never thought of him that way. No matter how close they got, she never felt anything of a romantic nature towards him.

But she could most definitely feign it. They would actually hold hands and sneak behind the tapestries, making the most inappropriate moaning sounds. Once, Helen actually screamed out, "You're so good at that, James!" It took all of her strength not to burst into childish giggles afterwards because of the raised eyebrow she got from her comrade. The confused glances she would get when she walked beside James in the hallways, mostly by jealous girls or boys, were absolutely hysterical. Helen would never embark on a relationship with James. He was a wonderful person and an even better friend, but even if James mysteriously got over Lily, he would never be with Helen, and she would never be with James. Sure, there was some kind of chemistry between them, but their friendship was simply so close, and neither of them wanted to ruin it.

Helen looked at James, smirking at him. "Pretty slow" was an understatement. Perhaps he was just so used to the Marauders that normal conversations just didn't make sense to Prongs. Helen would try her hardest to pass hints that Lily really did like him, but he somehow never understood her! It got so frustrating that Helen had to actually describe Lily's expression carefully during the Spin the Bottle incident. James wasn't stupid, but he could be a bit thick-headed sometimes.

He then screamed out, "I knew it!"

[/b], loud enough for the whole tavern to hear. Helen raised an inquisitorial eyebrow, but said nothing. She did look apologetically towards Rosmerta. James could be so loud sometimes. Most of the people there had actually jumped at his speech, and Helen took that time to gaze at her surroundings. The Three Broomsticks was a jovial place and very warm, even in the frigid frost of winter. The scenery was somewhat stereotypical, with a bar and stools in the center of the tavern, and chairs and tables spread all around that. The place itself was pretty well kept and clean, except for the dingy corners, that were so dark that Helen doubted the maids even bothered to clean there. Nobody ever took the corner table anyway, that is, except for Helen and James. What an unlikely pair they were.

"Was there? Was it obvious?" Helen asked somewhat frantically. Good god, simply because she told James did not mean she wanted the whole of Gryffindor to know! James and Mary was enough, for now, at least. She was actually puzzled. Helen looked at Remus strangely? Well, perhaps she did. It wasn't the friendly glances she spared with everyone else. With Remus, there was a hidden longing there, a need so strong that perhaps it was even sensible through her eyes. Without thinking, Helen blurt out, "The same way you look at Lily..." She said it softly, but loud enough for only James to hear. After she realized she said it, Helen gave James a somewhat pitying look. They were in the same situation, after all.

She chuckled when she heard James's response. Yes, he was all too familiar with jealousy, wasn't he? Perhaps because of his taunting towards Snape, Helen decided to be nice to the poor soul. It's not like he did anything bad, except for the whole "mud-blood" incident, but Helen knew that deep inside, Severus didn't really mean it. He had apologized countless times, and truthfully, Helen took Severus's side. She knew she shouldn't, but Helen couldn't help it. She was never too fond of Lily in the first place, and Snape was so despaired about the whole situation that Helen took pity on him. If Lily wouldn't forgive him, then Helen would just be there for him in case he needed a shoulder to cry on.

"Aw, thank you, Jamesie! You're so sweet." Helen said, beaming up at him. Granted, she knew it was true. And nobody else really admitted their feelings, at least to any of the Marauders. There were many girls that liked Remus and flirted with him constantly, but none really bared their feelings like Helen did just now. He was oblivious to their actions, anyway. It was like he just didn't understand the concept of flirting. Growing frustrated, Helen said darkly, "Tell me about it! At least you actually know how to flirt, or understand when someone is flirting with you! God, I don't know how I can be more obvious, and Remus still does nothing, and acknowledges nothing! Not everyone is as innocent as he is..." Helen said, turning to James swiftly. "It's just kind of sad. I know he doesn't return the feelings. I now understand what it must have been like for you all those years."[/blockquote][/blockquote]

- tag : James Potter
- notes : I know; I do, too! Helen and James are awesome together. But not..together-together. And I would kind of love to do a behind the tapestry thing, and then just them walking in the hallways, holding hands and smirking. xD...I just realized how long this post is.
- words : 1,277
- music : Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol
- outfit : This!
- credit : template brought to you by THE ACTRESS !. lyrics from IN THE MOURNING by PARAMORE !

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