She woke up screaming.
Not loudly, no, but a silent scream, a scream of complete and utter fear. Her heart pounded in her chest as she gasped for breath. She sat up in bed, her eyes darting as she looked around the darkened room. The only light came from the moon, which had three days until it was full. Everything was where she had left it when she had gone to bed, her books stacked perfectly on her desk, her shoes lined up against the wall beside the dresser, her cloak hung neatly on a hook beside the door.
She slumped back against the cushions, placing one hand over her eyes as she breathed in and out, taking care to count the length of each inhale and exhale as she tried to calm down. Her heavy breaths were the only sound in the otherwise silent room, and it was only when her heart stopped racing that she closed her eyes and attempted to fall back asleep.
After ten minutes of no success, she sat up again and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet finding her slippers in a perfectly practiced motion. She tugged the hem of her sweatshirt down so that it met with the waistband of her shorts and went out into the common room.
It was silent, most of the curtains closed. A fire flickered in the grate, though it was more coals than anything else, casting enough light around the room to throw the shadows into definition. She crossed the room to a small table beneath one of the windows, her slippers scuffing quietly against the carpet. After pouring herself some water from the pitcher that sat there, she lifted the glass to her lips and sipped. She looked out over the grounds through the gap in the curtains and reached up to rub her eyes.
"You all right, Evans?"
She jumped and nearly dropped the glass. After setting it down on the table, she turned around to see a shadowy figure coming out of the door opposite hers. He stepped closer, and the firelight allowed her to see his features. Shadows formed beneath his chiseled jaw, and his hazel eyes caught the light and glittered as he watched her. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, and his black hair stuck up in all directions around his head. He wore a t-shirt and a pair of red pajama pants patterned with Snitches, his feet bare.
She ran her hand through her hair, the bright red strands catching around her fingers. "Fine, Potter."
He tilted his head slightly. "This is the fourth time this week that I've heard you come down to the common room in the middle of the night."
"It's half past three in the morning, Potter. Why are you still awake?" she asked.
He chuckled quietly. "I could ask you the same question."
She moved to sit down on one of the couches, twisting her hands together as she did. He sat down beside her after a moment, and she kept her gaze trained on the coffee table as she spoke. "I haven't been able to sleep lately."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
She pressed the tips of her fingers together and then flattened her hands so that her palms touched. He sat quietly, waiting, and after a moment, she sighed. "I either don't fall asleep, or I wake up in the middle of the night and I can't go back to sleep again. I'm just glad it's a weekend now so I won't have to sit through classes tomorrow."
His brow furrowed. "Why are you waking up?"
Her thoughts flashed to the nightmares she'd been having, to the little black-haired, green-eyed boy, the dark, cloaked figure, and the flash of green light. She shuddered involuntarily and then shook her head. "It's nothing."
"I know you, and I know it's not nothing," he said. "There isn't a lot that scares you. I know that as well as anyone. You're Lily Evans. Whatever it is, it must be big."
She laughed dryly and glanced at him. "Would you believe me if I said it was nightmares?"
His eyes were serious as he looked at her. "You know I'll always believe you."
She ducked her head, thankful that the limited light would hide the blush that was spreading across her cheeks despite her wishes otherwise. "I... Yeah."
"Tell me about it," he said. "Maybe it'll help."
Her eyes widened, and she began to play with the ends of her hair as she spoke. "There's not much to tell. I see a child, I see a cloaked figure, and then I see the child die and I wake up screaming. I don't know who he is, or why I keep having this dream, but it happens every night, and once I have it, I can't fall asleep again."
"Have you talked to anyone else about it?" he asked. "Alice or Marlene?"
She shook her head. "I didn't see any reason to bother them with it. My insomnia is my own problem."
"It's your problem until it starts to negatively impact your performance, and then where will I be left?" His tone was serious, but the slight smile on his face let her know he was joking. "I'll have to do all of the Head duties by myself."
Rolling her eyes, she reached out and shoved his shoulder gently. "As if I don't do seventy percent of them already."
He grinned. "Exactly." He sobered a moment later. "Really though, this can't be good for you. If the dreams don't stop, you should go to the Hospital Wing and see if you can get a Sleeping Draught."
"Why are you so worried about this?" she asked. "It's my problem, I'll sort it."
He fixed her with an even stare. "I always worry about you."
She swallowed. "James..."
His eyes widened. "You called me James."
She shrugged. "So I did."
He reached out and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Come on."
She followed him as he led her into her room. He sat down on one side of the bed, his back against the pillows, and patted the spot where she had been laying earlier. She raised her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
"You say that you can't fall asleep again, so I'm hoping that if I sit here for a while, it'll help," he said. "I'll leave when you fall asleep, I promise."
She blinked at him for a moment and then nodded. "Okay."
She climbed under the blankets beside him. He touched her shoulder. "Night, Lily."
Smiling slightly, she replied. "Night, James."
Fifteen minutes later, as her eyes were growing heavy, she glanced at him. His eyes were closed, his breathing even, and she smiled as she closed her eyes.
She woke up in the curve of his arm the next morning, sunlight streaming through the window. He was fast asleep, and as she looked at him, she only had one thought:
Maybe James Potter wasn't so bad after all.
A/N:
James Potter and Lily Evans are quite possibly my favorite fictional couple ever, so here, have a one-shot (I looked up a list of prompts, saw "Insomnia," and immediately had the idea for this). I couldn't stay away for long.
(I suppose I should mention that I buy into the idea of the Head Boy and Girl having their own personal dormitory, which is why Lily has her own room and James can access it. They're not in Gryffindor Tower, they're in the Heads' dorm.)
I'm working on my next long story (It's a Scorpius and Rose tale), and if you follow unicornstarfighter on Tumblr, I'll be posting excerpts and notes and other things about it as I write it, so keep an eye out for those. I won't be posting any chapters until I've written most or all of them, so that's going to be the best way to see what I'm working on and get a glimpse of what's to come (Though there will probably be one-shots here and there).
Peace and love x
~AC