lovely lady nicotine - Ben

coffee and cigarettes are my only escape

i got my cup of joe, my pack of stokes

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The last Sunday of December had been nothing if not stressful. Before breakfast was even over, two fights had broken out: both involving the same idiotic Gryffindor seventh year. Honestly, he didn't think he could help it; James had just been on edge lately. This, he reckoned likely had something to do with the reduced amount of nicotine in his system as of late. His mum wrote to him often inquiring after his health and weather or not he still frequently used "those deathsticks". Frankly, if things were hard for him here at school where he was still somewhat removed from everything it was even harder at home for his mum. With that in mind, about three days ago he vowed to quit smoking. Now, three days later, on a Sunday, he was about to break that promise. As it happens, James could not afford any extra detentions. He was nearing the maximum eighty at an alarmingly fast pace and another fight in the Great Hall couldn't be overlooked by the head girl just because of blood loyalty.

With a resolve to ignore the twisting feeling in his gut from letting down his mother, James lit a cigarette, put it between his lips, and shoved his hands so far in his pockets they stretched his jacket. Kicking gravel off the school's steps, he traversed the frostbitten Hogwarts grounds. The best thing about this time of year was easily how empty the courtyard was. Only a couple of second years were brave enough to face the cold, and likely that was because they were Slytherins and their common room wasn't much warmer anyway. On a day during the fall or during the spring, there was always an abundance of students roaming about, enjoying the sun, and complaining about the trail of smoke he left in his wake. During the winter, it was far easier to avoid other people, because regardless of how ruggedly handsome he was, very few girls ever wanted to follow him out into the cold.

Much like he did every time he wanted a smoke, James leaned up against an old elm tree that grew by the edge of the water. Smoke curled up into the sky, mixing with his own steamy breath as he exhaled. It always looked so artistic and beautifully tragic: smoking. When James had the cigarette between his lips he liked to pretend he was deeper than he actually is. Sometimes he would briefly ponder Shakespeare (or whatever that one muggle author's name was) before boring of it and turning his focus instead to the highly unhealthy stress levels in his life. Today, however, James simply sat down, propped himself up on his knees and absentmindedly smoked. He thought about his dad, he thought about his brother, he briefly thought of his sister, mum and even of Ben. Though he tried to give all of the above as little time as possible. Worrying about them, he knew, wouldn't do him any good.

In a last effort to expunge all negative thoughts from his mind, he pulled from his robes, the map. When James had been twelve years old, he's nicked this old thing from his father's office. It took him a little while to figure out how it worked, but with the solicited aid of his uncle George, he'd discovered what had now become one of his most valuable assets (the cloak being his most useful item). This map, the marauders map, had been created by Messurs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, whom James idolized as pure geniuses, and it showed the entire school and all of it's passageways. Not only that, but it was bewitched to show the exact position of every student at any given moment. It really was brilliant. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," James pledged past his cigarette as the dark ink began to twist and coil, becoming the halls and students of Hogwarts. He wasn't really sure what he was looking for until he saw the dot labeled 'Benjamin Dearborn' moving towards the dot labeled 'James Potter'. Turned his head, he saw his smiling, idiot best mate striding towards him, likely to congratulate him on a well fought battle against that Slytherin oaf. James took a long drag of his cigarette and blew out a heavy cloud of toxins before nodding at his friend.

WORDCOUNT[/b]|[/color][/size]730
TAGGED[/b]|[/color][/size]Benjamin Dearborn
LYRICS[/b]|[/color][/size]Coffee and Cigarettes - NeverShoutNever
CREDITS[/b]|[/color][/size]Lacey's stuff
NOTES[/b]|[/color][/size]Blah, end is awful. Sorry[/blockquote]

What a day what a day, he had heard the stream of gossip already about Mister James Potter's lovely fights throughout the day and he didn't make it a point right away to find his best friend. He had been lying in the common room sprawled across the couch listening to Dominique and Julia chirp beside him in their chairs by the fire place. A well placed roll of his eyes crossed his face as he sat up now and ruffled his hair shooting the girls a look,"Ya harpies are sure loud and don't bother to care that no one else wants to hear your business" he said before he got to his feet and he walked over to the window looking down at the snow covered grounds. It was somewhat tempting, the thought of a cigarette but the thought of going out and down all those stairs and through the crowds of people was the unappealing part of things. He debated for a long while until he finally walked over grabbing his leather jacket from the arm of the couch and throwing it on as he exited the common room and began his descent down the ever changing staircases. He wasn't surprised though the moment he placed an unlit cigarette between his lips that little Potter Al was at his side telling him how bad smoking was and he should stop if he knew what was good for him. Ben looked down at the boy, ruffled his mopped hair and chuckled shaking his head and taking off toward the castle doors. Once he was outside he lit the cigarette with ease and began his way toward the courtyard, if he knew his best friend like he thought he did, he knew the boy had cracked by now and was outside too enjoying a smoke. He inhaled hard his thoughts trailing to the other day he'd spent in the village with Albus, the kid always knew how to make Ben smile but his thoughts changed at the sight of James and he approached with ease soon leaning against the tree with his friend. "That oaf deserved it, ta be honest I woulda hung him by his drawers on one of the keeper posts on the QUidditch pitch" he said with a light chuckle as he exhaled his smoke and ruffled his hair. He side glanced at James for a moment,"So who ya gonna ask to that ball thing comin up? We only got a a few days or so I dunno a week or whatever til then, gotta pick em right, don't wanna go with some mudblood or some hoe, want to keep your image good as I do my own" he said though he himself had no clue who he'd be taking this year.

coffee and cigarettes are my only escape

i got my cup of joe, my pack of stokes

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One of the most brilliant things about Ben Dearborn was that he didn't really ask any questions. When something went wrong Ben accepted it and offered his unrelenting and undoubting support without argument. Truthfully, James wouldn't have much wanted to talk right now. He was mad at himself for breaking his cigarette-less streak (three days was a new best for him. His previous record had been less than twenty-four hours), he was cross with that Ravenclaw prefect who'd docked him house points, and mostly, he was irritated by what an insufferable git Crossley the Slytherin was. Thick tendrils of smoke rose in the air and dissipated before they reached the tops of the trees as James exhaled angrily. The best he could do for a cigarette cloud was to leave a dim, hazy fog of chemical smoke floating around him.

As per usual, Ben was accompanied by his leather jacket and an ever-present cig held cooly in the corner of his mouth. James reflected that his best friend looked very 1963. But in a good way. Just the mention of that prat Crossley caused James' levels of testiness to rise. "He's a git." James concluded waspishly, "And he's lucky all I did was punch him." the infirmary could fix a broken nose quickly and without any lasting damage to the patient. Pity. Next time, James thought, he might try to hex the meathead's nose clean off. At least then he would present the nurses with some kind of a challenge.

It may have been seeing his lack of enthusiasm on the subject of boneheaded Slytherins, or it may have been his habit of changing conversation topics spontaneously that led Ben to completely veer away from the days events and towards the winter dance. "Shit," James muttered through his cigarette. He'd completely forgotten for the second year running about the dance. "I dunno, mate. Haven't really thought about it…" he ran his fingers through his already messy hair, "And there's nothing wrong with muggle-borns, Ben."

[/i] He corrected his friend, "There are plenty of fit muggle-borns at the school I'd wouldn't mind taking." Sometimes it was obvious that Ben had grown up in a strictly pureblood home. It wasn't that he was some sort of muggle killing maniac, but his family had raised him with some concept of blood purity. That was something James had never dealt with in his home life. Leaning back carelessly, he crossed his legs and took another drag of the smoke in his hand. He paused, thoughtfully exhaling what might have been an attempt at a smoke ring. Then, as if hit by an electric shock he sprang to life. "Reckon I'll ask Emma," he grinned cheekily at his best mate, "That'll get a good rise out of her." That girl was the only girl he could think of who wasn't some Slytherin slag who would say no to the two of them. A girl who resisted his charms was completely irresistible to him. Of course, this was all for sport: nothing more.[/size]

WORDCOUNT[/b]|[/color][/size]506
TAGGED[/b]|[/color][/size]Benjamin Dearborn
LYRICS[/b]|[/color][/size]Coffee and Cigarettes - NeverShoutNever
CREDITS[/b]|[/color][/size]Lacey's stuff
NOTES[/b]|[/color][/size]Steadily dropping my word count o.O[/blockquote]

He knew there wasn't anything wrong with muggle borns and what not he just had habit from home of the image at times he forgot his modesty,"I didn't mean it like that I dunno ya know I have some muggle born friends so I ain't that bad bout it" he said taking another long drag on his smoke. He closed his eyes tilting his head back against the tree and he slid down to a seated position in the snow resting against the tree still. He didn't know who he'd take, hell if it weren't as awkward that his best bud had no clue he really was blind to sex in love and dated strictly on personality and not whether it was a boy or a girl, he'd take anyone but no, he had to make sure that James never found out he'd ever date a boy, so girls were his line up, it was just how it had to be. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he shrugged,"Maybe I'll take Domi, Weasley, she may be chatty but there's just something about her...I don't usually like redheads but I'd do a number on her"

[/color] he muttered, only half in truth though, he did find her to be pretty but he really didn't want to take her. He took another long drag his mind slipping to a fair number of people but he shook it away, his options were limited. "Or uh I'd say Molly but she doesn't put up with us so well because we're such bullies remember?" he mused about one of James' closer female friends. He glanced up at the sky now opening his eyes,"Fuck it, I dunno maybe I won't go at all, girls always just use it as an attention thing, why should I cater to some female's ego who's gonna go run off the next day with some other guy" he muttered negatively.[/blockquote]

coffee and cigarettes are my only escape

i got my cup of joe, my pack of stokes

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Sometimes, James thought about Emma, and he got distracted. It wasn't really much, he told himself, it was only a mild and totally understandable curiosity. Every girl he knew had liked him at some point. Or she had at least admitted to finding him attractive and charming. Emma had never done such a thing. Over the course of their seven year acquaintance she had maintained that he was a prat and the last person on Earth she could possibly be imposed upon to go out with. Obviously, he didn't take this as a hint that she might just genuinely not see him romantically, but he saw it as an opportunity to convince her that she saw him romantically. Yes. Emma would be a good choice to ask to the dance. If she wouldn't go with him, at least she would be reasonably flustered by the whole experience.

See, when thinking of Emma, James forgot to think of his friend. There was the funny thing about growing up in the Potter/Weasley family. They were almost, save for his grandmother on his dad's side who had died long before he was even born, completely pureblood. Yet there had never been any sign, of purist behaviour. In fact, they were actually rather muggle-loving if anything. The Dearborn's, however, came from a long line of pureblood-sometimes-morons. James reckoned there were about ten good people in his friend's family tree. The rest were Slytherins or just general scum. Not the he liked to acknowledge that out loud, Ben's family could have been a lot worse. They just held tight to a lot of the old beliefs that James didn't like. He smiled sideways at his friend, "They just don't much like being called mudbloods, mate." Of the ten good people in Ben's family, Ben was one of them. When he made comments like "some mudblood," it was his upbringing speaking, not his personal opinion. James knew this. Frankly, he wouldn't have picked a bigoted best mate anyway.

Dominique Weasley who happened to be his cousin was often a source of mockery/hit-on-ery for Ben. James winced a little. "Please don't do a number on my cousin. It's weird." To be fair, if Ben had to stay away from all of James' relatives he was getting to a point where he was limited to about a third of the school. The Weasley/Potter family was large to say the least. That aside, James would much rather see his friend with someone who wasn't a direct blood relative of his. The mention of Molly was almost-but-not-quite promising. The three, in his opinion, most attractive Gryffindor girls weren't really interested in Ben or James because of their inherent idiocy. "I dunno, mate. If I take Emma you could take Molly and Ethan could take Chloe." he scoffed a bit at the thought of their shy best mate taking the bubbly, slightly obnoxious Chloe on any form of date. But hey, there were three of them, and the girls were also three. That paired up nicely.

Dating had never been stressful for James or for Ben. It is safe to say that they had always been two of the most attractive and most popular boys in the school; girls were drawn to them as thought they were magnetized. This dance, however, was presenting them a particular challenge and though James was taking it in stride (frankly, he couldn't afford to be stressed out over anything else), Ben was taking it pretty hard, and it was unlike his friend to be this bothered over any kind of social event. Something else was going on, not that James knew what. A feeling of immense guilt overcame him because he'd been so wrapped up in his own problems over the past few months that he'd almost completely neglected to even give a sideways glance to what might be going on in Ben's life. "Don't talk like that, man." He said earnestly, "These dances are always fun. Anyway, we've already snogged most of the birds in the school. We can just go stag this year." He wasn't sure why Ben was acting up so much, but he wasn't sure how to ask. Much as they were best friends, they weren't the share-all-of-your-secrets-and-we'll-have-gossipy-sleepovers kind of best friends. They sort of just told each other when something else was wrong, and James reckoned this time would be no different. When Ben wanted to, he would tell him what was going on. Pressing him to do it sooner was just a bad idea and a half. Still, James worried.

WORDCOUNT[/b]|[/color][/size]761
TAGGED[/b]|[/color][/size]Ben
LYRICS[/b]|[/color][/size]Coffee and Cigarettes - NeverShoutNever
CREDITS[/b]|[/color][/size]Lacey's stuff
NOTES[/b]|[/color][/size]And word count back up[/blockquote]

He watched his friend slip into a daydreaming like state and Ben could only guess he must be thinking about Emma, the boy was obsessed with something that was out of his reach, but what the hell was Ben thinking, so was he, so who was he to judge. He scoffed slightly at James' comment about Dominique,"Oh whatever rather your cousin than your sister,"he said as he smirked waiting for the reaction from his best mate. He grinned devilishly,"We could do a swap ya know, your sister for mine?" he was only joking and he hoped his buddy knew that. He finished his cigarette flicking the butt aside. as he slipped into his own state of daydreaming briefly, the thought of girls slipping in and out of his mind, at least he was logical enough to know when to give up, James was persistent. "Why ask someone you know is gonna say no, why not ask Celia or whatever, or is that too public for the two of you?"

[/color] he teased before he pushed himself away from the tree and he walked over to the fountain in the courtyard and he looked down into it overthinking as he often tended to do. He skimmed his bottom lip with his teeth, he'd go alone or he'd lock himself up in his dorm with blaring music and some fire whiskey. He was 17 years old, it was his last year in school, he was ready for a serious commitment and yet he knew with his reputation that was difficult to come by seeing as most girls thought of him as a player or simply a pretty face. He glanced over at James for a moment before shaking his head, he didn't want to be out in this cold any more, it was reminding him too much of the other day so he walked passed James,"I'mma go inside you comin?"[/color] he asked not giving his friend much chance to respond as he just continued walking back toward the castle doors and once inside he headed up the staircases toward the Gryffindor tower.[/blockquote]

coffee and cigarettes are my only escape

i got my cup of joe, my pack of stokes

[/b][/size][/center][/font]

Sometimes Ben liked to push limits. Cousin hunting was common because frankly, half the birds at the school were related to James. When he switched it to his one and only sister, it was obvious that he was looking for a reaction. Ben practically prodded his best mate saying "Hey, c'mon, doesn't this bother you? What are you gonna do about it?", always looking for a playful banter. James rolled his eyes. "You sure you want your sister shacking up with the likes of James Bloody Potter? Not exactly the best kind of bloke," he chuckled and kicked a rock. How many girls had told him he was the worst kind of guy? Innumerable women had told him to acquire some maturity and he had never bothered to listen because truthfully they had never mattered all that much to him. Looking back on it, he really had been a prat to just leave girls for no reason better than "I'm bored." Yes, if a boy like James Potter ever asked his sister out, he would caution her strongly against it and he would probably sternly tell the boy off. And by tell the boy off, I mean scare him away with the longest stick he could possibly find.

Ah, and there it was. Why ask someone who will say no? James threw his arms behind his head glancing upwards as though hoping an answer would fall from the sky. The number of times Ben had pointed out that Emma was not interested in him and that he, James, should stop asking her out because it hadn't gotten him anywhere in the fourth year and it wasn't getting him anywhere today. When he thought about it, James figured that it was his persistent character that simply wouldn't allow one woman to have absolutely zero interest in him at all. "There's no way she hasn't thought about me naked at least once," James said with a shrug. In all fairness, she probably didn't think about him unclothed. In fact, it was unlikely that she ever thought of him in any kind of positive light at all. As aforementioned, James Potter was not exactly the best kind of bloke.

Celia however was a totally reasonable person to think of asking. Attractiveness-wise, she was a solid nine out of ten, and her personality wasn't too shabby either. As far as Slytherins go, she was pretty alright, and James had never had any qualms about casually flirting with her. James sighed heavily. Celia would probably go with him if he asked her, but there was some truth in Ben's "would that be too public for you?" People tended to make assumptions about James with girls. With the exceptions of Emma, Chloe and Molly, his talking to any female either meant that he was currently sleeping with them or would be soon. Much as shagging Celia probably wouldn't be the worst decision he'd ever made, he certainly didn't want people thinking anything unless he really decided to do it. "I dunno, mate." He sighed, "Maybe you're right and we should just skip the dance all together. These school things are never that good anyway. You're supposed to be sober." He gave his friend a cheeky look knowing that in their sixth year neither boy had been sober at the dance. That had earned them four detentions apiece. It would have been worse if anyone other than Dominique had caught them.

Ben's desire for a cigarette was clearly exceeded by his desire to feel the tips of his fingers again, because mid-conversation his friend turned to leave. James sighed, used to the unfocused kind of behaviour exhibited here. He flicked his used cigarette butt on the ground, something he didn't usually do, but today he didn't feel like digging it into the dust. "I'm right behind you, mate." he assured as he quickened his stride to follow his friend across the frozen grounds. "What about you? You never said. Who you'd bring to the ball, that is." James figured that if he was going to be asked who he was bringing, Ben had to live up to the same standard. "Which of the fan club is it this time?" When they got into the castle James immediately felt his hands thaw as though a small shell of ice had melted off of them. Though he probably could've done with another cigarette, his nicotine fix was worth less than the use of his hands. Frost bite was a great deterrent for his smoking habit.

WORDCOUNT[/b]|[/color][/size]756
TAGGED[/b]|[/color][/size]Ben
LYRICS[/b]|[/color][/size]Coffee and Cigarettes - NeverShoutNever
CREDITS[/b]|[/color][/size]Lacey's stuff
NOTES[/b]|[/color][/size]Blah[/blockquote]

It didn't take long before he heard James' rushed footsteps catching up to him and he glanced over at him. At being asked the same question he shrugged, he couldn't tell James who he wished he could take but he could definitely lie and hope his friend believed him,"I dunno my options are limited, I can't take your cousin, so that's heartbreaking," he joked again slightly but he glanced around. "Could always take that Jesse girl, Greyback, she's feisty, I like em feisty, she's got that Max kid whipped,"he mused in thought though he knew he wouldn't step into that territory either. He thought again, Belby had Starleina in the bag practically so that was off limits, Kaila was too shy for him and well she probably thought of him as shovinistic and well that Yvaine girl, she didn't quite fancy his behavior either. He scoffed slightly, he really was running out of options if it wasn't a Weasley or a Potter girl,"Can't ask that Kylee girl from Ravenclaw, she's stuck up and is probably a cherry, Bella's probably goin with another Slytherin, James boy I'm running out of options"

[/color] he admitted before they reached the tower, he muttered the password to the portrait and he walked into the common room collapsing into an armchair. He could ask Julia but she was too childish, yup options gone leaving him with his one option that was off limits."I'd ask you if you could take anyone and they had to say yes who it would be but then your answer would be Emma....what else is new" he mused rolling his eyes, he really hoped James wouldn't turn that question back around on him, he'd have to come up with an even bigger lie if that was the case.[/blockquote]

coffee and cigarettes are my only escape

i got my cup of joe, my pack of stokes

[/b][/size][/center][/font]

Hogwarts seemed twice as warm as it usually was after coming in from the cold. A tingling was running up and down James' legs as his muscles and skin accustomed themselves to the lack of a frozen feeling. Much as smoking was relaxing, being outside in the cold with little more than his robes and Gryffindor scarf keeping him from hypothermia sort of counteracted the calming feel. Ben was a few steps in front of him, so James was free to shake his legs like an idiot to try and dismiss the pins-and-needles feeling unthawing caused. Honestly, it was uncomfortable to walk on, and though Ben had led the charge back inside due to cold, James had been smoking alone for a good ten minutes before that, and he had managed to become numb all the way down to his feet. His hands were chapped and red from the cold, a consequence other than lung cancer of his need for a cigarette. He sighed, at least he'd avoid frostbite. Though James knew himself as the idiot he truly was, and if Ben hadn't been there to bring him back inside he would've smoke at least one more fag before he was forced to come inside and make his way to infirmary.

He plodding alongside his friend, his mind going from the cold he was experiencing to that blasted dance. Despite Hogwarts' impressively large size, there was a lack of decent girls. Well, mind you, James wasn't really looking. A girlfriend, in his experience, was a lot of work. When he'd been in the fifth year, he'd dated this one bird in Ravenclaw for almost three months and she'd been so needy. Girls, he'd decided, became jealous easily and often liked expensive dates better than the boy taking them out. Simply put, dating was too much work and James didn't have time for it. If a girl wanted to shag at a party or approached him with the intention of snogging in a broom closet and staying perfectly platonic afterwards he wouldn't say no, but the days of actively seeking out a partner were over for him. "How unusual," he mused, "James Potter and Ben Dearborn unable to find dates." he grinned at his friend. As far as he was concerned, Ben was the only male in the school who was more attractive to women than he was. If girls didn't want Ben, James would have a hell of a time finding anyone who was willing to put with him for a full evening."Who needs girls anyway. We'll just go stag."

Again and again, Emma came back into their conversation. To be fair, most of the time it was James who brought her up, but she was sort of a reoccurring topic. Nah, mate. I'd take Beyonce." he winked and laughed a little at his own joke. The thing about Emma was that he didn't really know what to do with her. There was a chance that he might be in love with her, but there was also a chance that he just wanted her to pay him romantic attention to fulfill his own narcissistic needs. For James, confusion over women was sort of a first. He experienced it occasionally with Celia, but it was fairly easy to dismiss, Emma was something else entirely. That was what frustrated him the most, and he didn't want to think about it anymore. "What about you, mate?" James chriped, "You seem to change your mind about the perfect girl as often as you change your socks." Ben was an interesting bloke when it came to birds. He liked them, that much was certain, but he settled down even less than James and seemed even less keen on a relationship than his friend was. Did Ben even have a type? James realized he knew very little about the romantic life of his best friend.

WORDCOUNT[/b]|[/color][/size]649
TAGGED[/b]|[/color][/size]Benjamin Dearborn
LYRICS[/b]|[/color][/size]Coffee and Cigarettes - NeverShoutNever
CREDITS[/b]|[/color][/size]Lacey's stuff
NOTES[/b]|[/color][/size]James "Clueless" Potter stikes[/blockquote]

He put his hands behind his head and got comfortable closing his eyes and thinking of everything, he could always have his own little ball for Albus, make the boy feel special somehow, he'd feel awful if he took a girl to the ball, and god only knew Al would probably find a way to start a scene in the dance if Ben did bring a girl. "Any girl in the world? I'd take Angelina Jolie" he joked with a grin,"Those full lips and that bad ass attitude, why not?" he mused before chuckling,"I'll probably go, dance with Star since she'd appreciate it, maybe dance with Molly and just call it a night and wonder off and get hammered somewhere" he said in all honesty, he'd go, he'd dance with a few girls, sneak off with the Little Potter and drink and have their own little party, yeah the boy would like that. He felt horrible for keeping this big of a secret from his best friend but it was for the best, he didn't need his friendship ruining his love life and vice versa, hell he didn't need the brothers arguing over him and his attention either. He sat up opening his eyes and ruffling his hair glancing at James for a moment,"You know....you could always slip Em a love potion or something but that would take all the challenge out of it" he said as he grinned before he stretched and glanced around, he could definatly use a good hit off some good pot or a pill would do him nice too but he wasn't sure what James wanted to do. Ben shrugged, fuck it, he took out his little baggy of colorful pills and slipped a aqua colored one under his tongue before tossing the baggy to James in offering, he knew James was more a smoker but it never hurt to offer, it was only manners.

coffee and cigarettes are my only escape

i got my cup of joe, my pack of stokes

[/b][/size][/center][/font]

Strangely enough, James was uncharacteristically grumpy. Likely, this was caused by the mention of a certain pretty redhead who wouldn't give him the time of day. Despite what he liked to believe, there were actually quite a few girls at Hogwarts who were less than in awe of James Potter. Most of the Slytherins, other than Celia, more or less hated the whole idea of his existence, and there were a few Hufflepuffs in the year below him who disliked his semi-promiscuous antics. Those girls didn't bother him though, and it's because to him, those girls were nothing special. Sure, all birds are pretty enough, and truthfully, he couldn't remember the last time he'd found a female completely repulsive. Emma was different from those average, unimportant-though-pretty girls. He furrowed his brow in frustration because he hated to consider himself the romantic type, but he really liked her. It had been years since James had actually cared what a girl thought of him, much less specifically sought out one's good opinion. Here he was now, and with all his charisma and charm he couldn't get her to give him a second glance. Going without any females at all sounded brilliant. With a slightly ill-tempered lilt to his voice he turned to his friend, "Y'know, maybe I was right." like every other James Potter moment, he shook his cross disposition quickly, "We ought just go stag. The two most sought after blokes in the school, why not go and give all of the girls an opportunity to dance with us?" He chuckled to himself, "Can't be tied down, right?" The two of them sort of lived by this wild-and-free motto: at least they had for the past few years. Growing up had done funky things to the both of them though.

Instead of going to that ball, there were a million things James would rather do. With all of the professors there, drinking and shenanigans were severely restricted. It'd be more fun to sit in the room of requirement alone and drink himself into a stupor before casting spells to make things explode. Mind you, that was even more pathetic than going to that dance. Anyway, his mum had sent down dress robes specifically for the occasion and if could be so bold, he looked really damn good in them. James Potter was not in the business of denying women the privilege of admiring him, particular dressed in nice robes. The black and white contrast might've made him look even more dashing than usual. Anyway, everyone knew he was a good dancer. He disliked the idea of denying women the pleasure of his talents as well.

If things were up to Ben, he'd probably have slipped Emma a love potion and shagged her months ago. His friend was only half joking. As official best mate to James Potter, Ben Dearborn had heard far too much about their housemate, and it wasn't really his fault for being sick of it. The idea of using magic to woo her displeased James though, and in his already mildly foul disposition he turned to his friend with a glare, "Absolutely not," he snapped. "James Potter does not get girls using love potions. Sex Gods don't need love potions." he affirmed with a sort of misplaced confidence. He was only half joking, after all. The tall Gryffindor had too much pride to ever need any kind of aid in roping in a girl.

Ben was the kind of boy who took pills and smoked weed, whereas James was the kind of boy who constantly smelled of cigarettes and coffee. The two complimented one another, occasionally sharing in each other's habits. Ben smoked, and James had tried those pills and the pot once. Truthfully, it had been an experience he never wanted to deal with ever again. Everything had been scary and moving, and honestly, he'd known that his father would dislike that habit even more than smoking. When Ben offered him a pill he shook his head vigorously, dismissing it. Those aren't skittles, kids. Regardless of the fact that they were inside, James just wanted to calm down and stop stressing about that girl. "Fuck it," he swore as he pulled out his third cigarette of the day and lit it, puffing away absently.

WORDCOUNT[/b]|[/color][/size]717
TAGGED[/b]|[/color][/size]Benjamin Dearborn
LYRICS[/b]|[/color][/size]Coffee and Cigarettes - NeverShoutNever
CREDITS[/b]|[/color][/size]Lacey's stuff
NOTES[/b]|[/color][/size]This is very rambly. Sorry.[/blockquote]

He'd kind of gotten over the conversation already and he could feel the drug slowly creeping up on him as he pulled his shirt off over his head to get more comfortable, he tended to get really hot when he was rolling for some reason so it was always better to just start off half exposed any way. He chewed the inside of his cheek as he watched James light another cigarette, at least Ben had the respect not to smoke inside, not everyone desired the feel or complications of second hand smoke. He ruffled his hair a soft purr ripping through his throat as he started to feel good and he glanced over at the sight of CHloe entering the common room, a smirk crossed his lips now,"CHloe...Chlo....sweetheart come here" he said, he knew she'd partake in his recreational drug use so he reached out his arms beckoning for her to come and sit in his lap and he pulled out the baggy showing it to her waving it a bit,"Come have fun with me since James wants to be a stick in the mud and only smoke his precious nicotine sticks" he said tilting his head with a well placed pout crossing his lips as he beckoned for her more with his arms outreached to her like a child almost.

Her tiny feet kicked back and fourth under the bar stool as she urged for her next drink gingerly taking the shot glass of the counter top. Chloe had totally avoided Emma and Molly setting out early for a skip day. No classes, no lectures no stress. The small female found herself at Hogshead flirting with the regular drunks and the extremely handsome bartender. The man's name was Ben just like one of her good pals, she mad met him in fourth year and just played along catering to his ego and having occasional flirts. Of course he was older but she didn't mind, with a body like that how could she? Chloe looked to the clock on the wall, it was almost dinner time back at Hogwarts. The best way to not get caught was to get back to the castle. The small girl pouted and leaned her elbows on the counter. "Mr. Hayes you know you want to let me have a bottle of that fire whiskey." She mused with big green eyes batting her eyelashes. It was no surprise to her when he told her to go out back and check by the window. Of course she didn't expect him to hand it over the counter. Chloe left him a generous amount of galleons and blew him a kiss before exiting the pub. Oh was she a tease.

The tiny girl made her way to the back of the Hogshead seeing a fresh bottle under the window, she picked it up and concealed it in her jacket. Chloe walked in the snow her boots making little foot prints as she trooped back to Hogwarts. On her way she took a moment to appreciate the scenery, winter was beautiful and bliss yet she'd never say romantic. Princes and love were for fairy tales, that she did not have time for, nor did she believe in that nonsense. The muggle out of most of her friends was well aware of all the tales, Cinderella, Snow white, Sleeping beauty. Why was it that all the girls were not independent and needed to be saved and fall in love with some Prince Charming? It was highly unlikely to happen. Chloe quickly walked the grounds into the castle. Her hazel eyes glanced around making sure there were no professors to catch her out of uniform. Her tight jeans hugged her curves nicely and her light grey peacoat could give away her secret. It wouldn't matter, it was just another detention she could add to the list. After making her way up the grand staircase she climbed the spiral stairs to the Gryffindor tower. She whispered the password and entered. It didn't take her long to spot James and Ben and a smile crossed her lips.

Chloe walked over to the boys where that had been seated and shifted her eyes between the two. Ben seemed so welcoming and she giggled to herself. "My two favorite boys in the world, how are things?" She asked removing her jacket and draping it over the arm of the sofa after taking the bottle of whiskey from it. The heat from the fire place warmed her tan skin as she reached for James' cigarette and placed it between her own lips dragging on it. "Thanks sweetie." She mused, she didn't plan on giving it back it was she first cancer stick of the day. Chloe looked to Ben and saw the small bag in his hand and smirked. "Naughty, Naughty Benjamin Dearborn." Chloe teased crawling into his lap. She let placed her hand on the back of his neck and brushed her fingertips along it sweetly. His dilated pupils gave away the he was high if the baggy didn't. Chloe spun the top off the bottle and took a drink before looking between the boys. "We getting this party started or what?" She asked quirking an eyebrow as she passed the bottle to Ben and took his bag from him. She took one of the pills and slipped it on her tongue and got cozy in Ben's lap. "We should get drunk and crazy and cause a riot!" Chloe suggested with wide eyes hoping her male friends would drag down her mood.

coffee and cigarettes are my only escape

i got my cup of joe, my pack of stokes

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It was high likely that these days James was smoking too much. Last year he'd still been smoking more than what the average bloke ought to, and he had at least doubled that in the last three hundred and sixty-five days. And he knew that his brother frowned on it, and he knew that Emma frowned on it, and he knew that his dad, wherever the hell his soul was, was frowning it too. But the thing was that sometimes when James thought about his family and what the past couple of years were, and what the next couple of years would be, his stomach twisted into knots and made him want to throw up. To be honest, he'd though about quitting a few times, but it had never actually become a reality because nicotine was the only thing that untied the knots in his stomach and calmed the whirl of thoughts circulating through his mind. "Those'll kill you, you know." Ginny Potter often told her son. James told her that he knew. Frankly, a part of him didn't much care. There was something to be said about how he knew cigarettes had the power to kill him and yet he smoked them anyway; it was like defying death. He held the "deathstick" (as Ben liked to call them) between his lips and yet refused to let it get him.

Now, however, was not exactly one of the times where he sat there with a cig in his mouth contemplating the ups and downs of life. No, he was in the common room, hoping he remembered the spell to clear the smell of brunt tobacco from the room. Ben, as per usual, was popping pills. It was kind of Ben's thing: pills that is. James' best friend was, admittedly, a little riskier than even he himself (not that James was all that risky). As James sat there blowing smoke rings, a warm kind of glazed look came over his friend. That's when James knew that the two of them weren't exactly existing in the same space anymore, if you know what I mean. Let's put it this way: to James, the walls weren't moving.

With only Ben partaking in recreation drug use, James was sort of starting to tire. He'd slept badly the night before, and though it was still fairly early, a part of him wanted to pack it in before he got stuck entertaining some first years with magical fireworks. It was just as James shifted his position on the couch that Chloe came in. Now that girl was something else in entirely. Not in the kind of way that he said Emma was something else, but in a sort of almost crazy kind of way. In about the third year James had decided that she would be in Azkaban or pregnant by the time they turned eighteen. Thus far she was doing well, however there was still plenty of time left in the year. The little Gryffindor seventh year was a bit of a loose canon in James' opinion. It wasn't that she was slutty, more that she was flirty, footloose and carefree. Honestly, he didn't think she would be pregnant. Azkaban was a maybe, but then again, he might just be her cell mate. She definitely had that whole one-of-the-boys thing going on, and she was easy and fun to be around. If there had ever been a female version of Ben, she was it. Unlike Emma and Molly, her roommates, she rejected female norms and would rather be loud, obnoxious and beer-drinking than quiet, polite, and well behaved.

Over the entire course of his life James had never been asked to babysit. For good reason, Ginny and Harry had decided that they should probably leave their children in better hands than that of their eldest son. For as much as James was clever he was irresponsible, and more than Albus or Lily he was usually the one who needed watching. In situations like that particular one, where James was in the common room with Chloe, who had stolen his cigarette, and Ben, who was high on something or other, James was the mature one. It was the strangest feeling. James protested mildly when she took his cigarette, but he didn't really make a fuss. He had others; he always had others. Pulling out smoke, sticking it between his lips, and lighting it, he sat back in his chair and watched his two friends. The two of them flirted like horomonal teenagers, yet there was no substance behind it. James knew he didn't need to watch them much of that account, but it seemed as though the two fed off of each other's crazy. Of course, Chloe had alcohol. Just like James always had a cigarette, and Ben always had pills, Chloe always had alcohol. The tall Gryffindor would've bet that it was firewhiskey: she seemed to have a particular affinity for it. Unfortunately, he knew how she was when she drank, and the fact that he was the most responsible one here kicked him into action: "Party might be a bit of a strong word for a Sunday," he reminded her "Dontcha think?" He knew she didn't think like that, because she thought in terms of consequences even less than he did. Wouldn't that shock his mother: he knew two people who were more impulsive and irrational than himself.

WORDCOUNT[/b]|[/color][/size]904
TAGGED[/b]|[/color][/size]Benjamin Dearborn && Chloe MacDonald
LYRICS[/b]|[/color][/size]Coffee and Cigarettes - NeverShoutNever
CREDITS[/b]|[/color][/size]Lacey's stuff
NOTES[/b]|[/color][/size]Sorry it took so long![/blockquote]

He couldn't help but purr at the feel of her touch on his neck and he eyed the bottle with amusement, he always appreciated Chloe's ability to gain bottles of liquor as he was able to, but lucky for him seeing as he hadn't acquired a bottle today, she had. He smirked and he found himself toying with a strand of her hair as he tilted his head back closing his eyes for a moment, simply relishing in playing with her hair until the sound of James' words caught his attention. Jesus, he knew the boy's dad had died but it was kind of sad and a bit pathetic that little Albus could seem to keep up with Ben's ways more these days than James was, he was beginning to grow tired of it as he rolled his eyes inside his skull before opening them and he shot his gaze toward his best bud,"Really Mate? Since when are you such a downer?" he asked raising an eyebrow, some times he couldn't believe this was the same boy he had detention record breaking contests with or the same boy he had spent countless nights getting high with, was James Potter maturing? Doubtful. He scowled as he snatched the bottle from little miss Chloe and he took a decent chug before placing it back in the palm of her tiny hand and continued to toy with her hair. He let his eyes drift to the fireplace as he thought, ok he couldn't be too harsh it was the first Holiday season without his old man, but really? When would his best friend come back to his senses, he wasn't supposed to be the voice of reason, that was Emma and Molly's jobs not his. He sucked in his teeth and chewed the inside of his cheek as he pulled his gaze from the fire again and he got to his feet a bit aggravated now as he set Chloe on her own two feet and he took her little hand in his,"Gimme a holler when my best mate gets back in his head would ya?" Ben said as he dragged Chloe with him toward the staircase of the boys dorms. He lifted her onto his back and piggy backed her up to his dorm that he shared with James but it wasn't the first time he'd done this for Chloe and probably wouldn't be the last, James could sit in the common room and be down by himself.