Then We're Friends, Merlin

Although I'd started over at Hogwarts eight times, there was something I had to make clear—I didn't know James well. Even at our closest, we were no more than casual acquaintances.

I was always very close to Lily. Even during the times I was in Slytherin, we were friends; Remus and I got along well most of the time, and when I was in Hufflepuff, we had even become good friends for a while; Sirius and I were nodding acquaintances. Except for the times I was in Slytherin, we occasionally exchanged a few words or swapped notebooks to revise.

James alone was different. Even at our friendliest, Lily was the only thing we talked about. Apart from her, our paths hardly crossed.

Before this, my impression of James was that he was the Chosen One's father: conceited and arrogant, but charismatic, clever, and courageous. He sounded like a plot device.

So I really didn't understand why James's attitude toward me had changed so drastically after we fought.

During Herbology that morning, James invited me to partner with him. Sirius stared at the two of us in disbelief, looking as though his husband had abandoned him. I tended the plants under Sirius's scorching gaze for the entire class. The only strange thing was that he didn't deduct any affection points from me this time-could he have already deducted them all?

Afterward, James also took the initiative to sit next to me in Charms, though I thought he was only looking for an excuse to get close to Lily this time;

When Sirius continued receiving Howlers from the Black family in the Great Hall, James handed me a cup of Pumpkin Juice, saying it was delicious. Sirius, his heart shattered to pieces, slammed the table and sprang to his feet. If Remus hadn't stopped him, I felt the two of us would have put on another live-action Mortal Kombat match in the Great Hall. Incidentally, Professor McGonagall saw the three of us like that on the way, and we were rewarded with a thirty-point deduction for fighting;

In History of Magic, James finally went to comfort the resentful Sirius. Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, he came over to me again during Astronomy that evening.

"Just tell me, James." I moved the telescope aside. "Even if you're unhappy with me, you don't have to borrow someone else's knife to kill me, do you?"

James froze, looking confused. "I didn't ask anyone to lend me a knife?"

I knew English couldn't properly convey the meaning of idioms.

"What's gotten into you today?" I decided to approach it from another angle. Maybe I was used to being on bad terms with him, but having him stare at me so eagerly now was rather scary. Before I realized what I was doing, I had instinctively reached out and touched his forehead.

"You're cold-oh, no, your forehead's cool." I pulled my hand back, puzzled. "You haven't got a fever cooking your brain, either."

Understanding finally dawned on James's face. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he hooked an arm around my neck. Girls developed faster in the lower years, and he made me stumble again. Unable to keep my balance, I had no choice but to lean against him.

"I realized I'd misunderstood you before." His eyes sparkled like the night sky spread out behind him. "When I think about it, we're alike in lots of ways. We could easily be friends instead of enemies. Don't you think, Merlin?"

"I've always thought so, but..." I straightened up and patted him on the shoulder. "There's something I should tell you upfront, James. Even if we become friends, Black and I still won't get along." I spoke seriously. "He was the one who started picking on me."

★

James wanted to argue with Merlin.

In his whole life-though he wasn't very old—this was the first time he'd met someone he clicked with so well. From their very first meeting, they'd got along like old friends. Everyone said they were practically one person.

But when he thought back to their first meeting on the train, before Merlin had even spoken, Sirius had taken one look at Merlin and shown obvious dislike, saying, "What an annoying face."

If someone had told him he had "an annoying face" the first time they met, he reckoned he'd have shown them exactly what annoying really meant. And later, in the Hospital Wing, Sirius had even grabbed Merlin by the throat. Just looking at the marks on Merlin's neck, he could imagine how hard Sirius had squeezed.

He hadn't liked Merlin much at the time either, but he wouldn't have done something like that to Merlin-Merlin wasn't one of those annoying Slytherins.

On the first day of school, he'd misunderstood Merlin and thought she liked Slytherins. A few days after that misunderstanding was cleared up, he'd misunderstood again, thinking Merlin had deliberately embarrassed him. Then he'd suspected Merlin was a dark wizard and followed her... James irritably ravaged his already untidy hair. Had he really been in the wrong this time?

He had a vague feeling he wasn't in the right, but while James could apologize on Sirius's behalf, there was no way he was going to apologize for himself.

So Merlin watched him as though he were an alien, his expression changing back and forth. If the timing hadn't been wrong, she would have loved to applaud, then pat James on the shoulder and say, "I never expected to see such authentic face-changing in Britain. Thank you, James. You've made me feel at home."

"In that case, we're friends now!"

James reached out and pulled them close together again, beaming. He looked up eagerly at Sirius, who wasn't far away. Sirius, who had been watching him with a dark look, frowned and made faces at him, as though asking, "What are you doing?" But James ignored him.

Since Merlin and Sirius were both his friends, as long as he was there between them, he could balance their relationship someday. Besides, there was no deep-seated grudge between them to begin with. He believed that if the three of them went through a few more things together, they would surely become an inseparable little group! Oh, and there was Remus, who shared their dormitory. The four of them together would be absolutely wonderful and perfect!

The thought suddenly filled him with lofty ambition. He turned and fixed his gaze on Remus, who was adjusting his telescope nearby. Remus hadn't noticed anything over here, but James's stare was so intense that he had to turn around. He saw James nod at him, as though confirming something.

Why was James nodding at him? Remus grew wary for no apparent reason.

"Uh, I'm honored?" Merlin was so thrown by his sudden change that she still hadn't recovered by the time Professor Sinistra walked over.

"I'm glad to see you getting along so well, but Mr Potter, Miss Merlin,"

Professor Sinistra said gently, "we're in class."

Sirius grinned in schadenfreude. He had expected Merlin to be embarrassed, but instead, she simply looked as though she'd suddenly remembered.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I shouldn't have been distracted in class." Merlin elbowed James. "My good friend, you can observe the Milky Way next."

"Hey, you're already ordering me around!"

James grumbled as he turned the telescope. Even with his eyes on the sky, he didn't forget to bicker with Merlin. "Then I'll leave all the recording to you, my good friend."

Sirius: "..."

He was filled with deep doubt.

─────

[Author's note]

★Tip★

Becoming friends with James is very easy. James is willing to befriend anyone who isn't a Slytherin;

At first, James will hardly ever realize his own mistakes, and even if he knows he's done something wrong, he won't apologize. So when dealing with him, make sure to stay in a good mood at all times.

★Side quest reminder★

*Congratulations on unlocking the James romance main quest achievement-[We're Friends Now, Merlin]