Chapter Text
The properties are large and sprawling in the countryside. Neighbors are only such in that they share perhaps a fence or a wall or a path. James doesn’t think even his parents really know any of the other families in the surrounding area and they’ve lived in the house for decades now. Except of course the Pettigrews and the Mckinnons though they live slightly farther out and are known through school and his parents’ work more than that they are close geographically.
The point, is that James has not met any other people no matter how close to the edge of the property he gets. Which is saying quite a lot with the amount of wandering and flying he does when he’s not at school, especially when his friends are over. Today, however, James is alone. Sirius and Remus are on a “not-date”–which James finds odd seeing as they’re both so clearly heads over tails for each other– and Peter is on vacation with his parents in France or Spain or some such country for the rest of the summer.
James is making lazy circles in the air near the south edge of the Potter estate where there is a tall, stone wall marking the beginning of another. He doesn’t know which family owns the land, only that all families are magical so he can use magic and fly without setting off alarms. He’s just about to head back home when he hears what sounds like an aggressive tantrum.
Which is new.
He can’t see anyone from where he is, but the yelling isn’t so far off. Staying on his side of the wall he lands to get closer on foot. It’s perhaps not the smartest move to go towards the unknown, apparently rather angry person, but James was never one to leave someone alone while in distress without at least ensuring their safety. Worst case scenario he takes off and flies home to get his parents.
The shouting has died down and is replaced by inarticulate grumbling by the time he makes it close enough to see who it is. James isn’t entirely sure what he was expecting but he knows it certainly wasn’t this. Just beyond the wall, under a small cluster of trees, sits none other than Even Rosier. He’s leaning back on one of the trees and he’s knocking his head gently against the trunk absently. His eyes are closed and his hands are plucking at the grass by his sides. It’s such an odd sight that James is momentarily at a loss for what to do. Rosier seems to have calmed himself on his own at this point, but he still seems down. Resigned perhaps.
“Are you alright?” Which, in hindsight is a silly question but James can’t take it back now.
Rosier’s eyes shoot open and his jaw drops when he sees James over the wall. He composes himself quickly, not unlike Sirius does. James can’t help but make the comparison and it makes him wish he could convince him to leave that damn house-
“Potter.” There’s little to no emotion in his voice but it’s enough to shake James from his spiraling. “What in Salazar’s name are you doing here?”
“I live here- well, not here here. In the house just north of here, obviously, but I spend plenty of time out here, and it is my property, well, my parents’ anyway, I’ve never seen anyone around before though, I was starting to assume all my neighbors were hermits or something but then I heard someone, you, apparently and went to make sure everything was ok, so then I asked and then you asked me what I’m doing here and now we’re all caught up I guess.”
Rosier was quiet. His mask had slipped and now he just looked utterly dumbfounded. James fidgeted with his broom. Waiting for a response of any kind. He gave a shakey grin and adjusted his glasses.
“Merlin” Rosier’s voice was quiet. Like he was talking more to himself than to James. “I live next to James fucking Potter, that’s bloody brilliant.”
“I can go if you want, if you’re all good. We’re not even really neighbors with all the space in between. But, erm, if you wanted to talk or- or something- I’m pretty good at listening, or just distracting. Sirius always says I talk enough to shove whatever’s stuck in his head right out, and Remus-
“So you do always talk this much then. You’re sure you’re a good listener? or do you just like listening to yourself?” Rosier sounded more amused than anything just beneath the biting sarcasm.
“Well, I do like the sound of my voice. I’ve been told it’s quite nice too.” Never one to back down from a challenge, James latches on to his chance to hold the conversation.
“It certainly could be worse, I thank Salazar himself I don’t sound like Snape.”
“Well that’s just putting the bar all the way under ground, Snivilus is his own special brand of obnoxious.”
James has gotten up on the wall now and is letting his legs hang over onto the other side. His broom is resting across his legs. Rosier is still against the tree but he seems more at ease than before. James considers this a win.
He’s also vaguely surprised that Rosier seems to agree with his very astute assessment of one Severus Snape if his huff of laughter is anything to go off.
“Yeah and you don’t even have to share a common room with the greasy git. I don’t know how someone like Evans put up with him for so long.”
This is where things could get hairy. James knows what people like Evan Rosier can be like. Pure blood, Slytherin, fed supremacist ideals from birth. If this goes wrong, James will head back home and pretend the conversation never happened at all and they can go back to never seeing each other. He hopes it goes well, but he’s always been wishful.
“What do you mean ‘someone like Evans’?” He knows he sounds colder but he despises the things people say about muggle borns and werewolves and to a certain extent blood traitors like himself and his parents.
“Intelligent. Reasonable. She’s so bloody smart and yet she let him treat her like shit for years. Didn’t want her making any other friends. It was scary really.” Rosier never broke eye contact. “Don’t worry, Potter. I know you Gryffindors think all snakes are bigots, but I promise, at least my friends and myself, are not.” He smirks and adds, “we’re just smarter about how we go about it than some, less dramatic with our sorting.”
And that’s a dig at Sirius for sure. His sorting had been in the bloody profit for Merlin’s sake.
James goes to retort-
Rosier beats him to it.
“Oh don’t get your broom in a bunch. Sirius Black is a legend. He’s gonna get out. Reg says it’s any day now. That’s more than can be said about the rest of us.”
“You could get out too, you know.”
“Yeah? And where would I go?” Rosier has that resigned look again. It hurts to look at. “Any of my friends’ parents would ship me right back and I’d be crucioed within an inch of insanity. We don’t all have a James in shining armour to whisk us away.” A bitterness is seeping through his tone. “We’ll keep our heads down and do as we’re told; if we’re lucky, we’ll be mostly ignored.”
“Is that what brought you out here today? You weren’t lucky?”
“Father wants me to quit the quidditch team. He thinks it’s a waste of energy I should be spending on studying politics.” Rosier’s face twists into disgust. “I told him I’d rather insult a herd of hippogryphs so he set my broom on fire.” He shrugs as if that’s normal. “Usually I’d go fly, but that’s obviously off the table. I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this” he gives a wry laugh. “Guess you are a good listener after all.”
James doesn’t know what to say to that.
Rosier continues.
“I should head back. Minimize the punishment. At this point I’ll probably be imperioused for the rest of the summer. That won’t be too bad.”
James is starting to panic. He can’t let Rosier go back.
“It was nice talking to you. Weird for sure, but nice. Don’t be offended if I act like I don’t know you back at school. I’ve got an image to uphold you know.”
He’s standing now. James is still just staring. Willing his brain to come up with something. Anything.
“What if you did have a James in shining armour?” He blurts out, practically shouting it in his haste to keep Rosier from walking away.
Rosier stops where he’d been turning away. Glancing back at James.
“What?”
“Well- I just mean, we have so many rooms just sitting empty. My parents always wanted more kids but can’t. I know they’d be pleased to have you stay with us. And they have loads of connections, your father won’t be able to cast even a jelly-legs at you. You’d be safe.”
“I can’t just not go back. I don’t have any of my things”
That’s not an outright refusal.
“Anything that can’t be replaced? We- my parents and I will replace anything you need.”
Rosier looks like a fish. His mouth is opening and closing without a sound.
Finally-
“Just a shoebox of contraband. Muggle things, and photos. Mementos-“ He trails off like he can’t believe what he’s saying, what James is telling him.
James is desperate for this to work out.
“Can you go get it? Can you get in and out without being detected?” It’s potentially very risky. If it were up to James, Rosier would leave everything and follow him home right now. Again, wishful. “Are you generally very lucky?”
“I think- I think I could be. Wh- what do I do. I don’t- are you serious?” He’s wary, James can tell, but he's starting to look hopeful again.
“Get whatever you need and meet me back here. I’ll fly home and let my parents know. I’ll be back in a jiff. If you’re not here within the hour, just know I’m staging a heist. You’re not staying in that house if I have anything to say about it.” Which he does, and James is rather used to getting what he wants.
“Alright. I’ll be back. As quick as I can. You better not be messing with me or I’ll make your life miserable, I promise.”
“I solemnly swear, I am not messing with you. I’ll see you soon. Be careful.”
And with that Rosier nods once and makes his way back towards his house. Once James can no longer see him through the trees, he gets on his broom and races home to prepare his parents.