Hello there. I've had a bit of a problem with my computer and the chapters, so I've uploaded chap 2 again. There's a few changes in it. If you've already read it you can just skip to the next chapter, it's nothing major.

Chapter 2

Now I can hear people start to whisper around me, so I guess I better sit up or they will think I have fallen asleep in the library (it has happened before unfortunately). I sit up straight and try to stifle a yawn but not really succeeding in it. I look down at the paper beside the book to see how far I got with my essay. A headline and two lines… Great, then I just need to write 2 more pages and 28 lines… Oh bugger.

A third year girl is pointing directly at me while she's giggling and whispering something to a friend of hers. Then her friend starts to snigger to. That's a very impolite thing to do if you ask me. I send them my deadliest stare to warn them that I noticed and they quickly flee the library. I discretely try to notice if any my hair is out of place and I make sure I haven't got anything attached to my cheek or something, but there's nothing out of the ordinary. I wonder why those stupid teenage girls were pointing at me, but I'll most likely never know.

I sigh as I once again grab my pen with the intention of writing something more in my essay but I just end up staring at the almost blank parchment. That has become a bad habit of mine as of lately. There's so much to do all of the time as a seventh year; homework, classes, more homework, duelling practice, home work. Also as I'm the Head girl there's a lot of stuff occupying my time because of that, and I still have to eat and sleep to. I think sometimes my brain just shuts down and take a break even if I had no intention to. In these break I'm thinking of James. It's not on purpose but my mind has a will of it's own…

"Well hello my most precious Head Girl." I don't know for how long I have been sitting here staring at nothing but James shakes me out of my reverie by throwing himself down in the chair opposite me. He makes a lot of noise but the librarian apparently didn't notice it, or maybe he has her charmed too?

I guess he just finished quidditch training, as he's still wearing some of his gear. I can tell it's raining outside 'cause he's looking like someone tried to drown him. One of his cheeks is covered in mud and even though he looks tired, he's smiling at me and that makes me smile to. (I'm a sucker for his smiles, what can I say!). I wave my wand to remove some of the dirt although he will still need to tae a shower to get rid of it all.

"Had a nice training session", I ask him. James nods, yawns and stretches himself at the same time.

"Exhausting though." He leans forward with his elbows at the table and looks toward my essay. "Any progress with your homework?" I just shake my head. He's looking at me more intensely, studying my face and now he's beginning to grin. That's a lot of charm directed at me directly – be still my beating heart! Is it physically possible to melt I wonder?

"Tsk tsk tsk Alice. You have been lying your head down at your book again, haven't you?" I look at him a bit confused. How does he know that? Has he been spying at me? His hand ruffles his wet hair a bit and I envy his hand (yes I know, to envy a hand… it's pathetic. I really should go to bed. Maybe that will stop these ridiculous thoughts. Let's get back to the subject Alice – you – lying on your book – how does he know?).

"How do you know that?" I have to ask. That just makes him smile even more. He hesitates for a second before he lets his fingers draw a line across my forehead.

"You have black letters on your forehead. I guess they have come off on your skin from the book." He finishes by putting a stray lock of my hair behind my ear. His fingers are accidentially brushing my cheek. Oh dear, that feels... Suddenly I realize what he said:

"Oh no, I have a part of a potions recipe on my head!" To his credit he tries not to laugh at my mortified look. I quickly try to rub it off – a bit violently - with my sleeve but I can feel a blush coloring my face. I guess that answers my question about the sniggering third years then. That's just great.

Stupid Alice, embarrassing myself like that. I sneak a glance at James and I can see he's fighting back his laughter but he's loosening the battle. Even I can't stop a grin forming now and all of a sudden we are both laughing like lunatics. Stupid book, stupid ink. We continue until the librarian suddenly turns up with a frown on her face. James and I stop laughing as on command. We look at each other and then James hurriedly closes my book with the essay and pen inside, throws all of it in my bag and grab my hand. We practically flee the library and as soon as we exit, we start laughing again until our stomachs hurts. I lean against the wall to get more support to remain standing. James is still chuckling a bit too.

"Ohh, that was Brilliant Alice, I needed a good and ridiculous laugh!" He smiles at me and I smile back. He's right, I needed it too. Everything is so serious right now with head duties, homework ect.

"Yeah." I let my fingers touch my forehead. "Is it gone or do I still look like an idiot?" James cups my chin and lead my head into the light from a torch. He very close, we're only centimeter apart… It wouldn't take much for him to kiss me if he wanted to, or I could just stand on my tiptoes… He shakes his head. I'm disappointed by the outcome of our closeness.

"Nope, it's still there." I groan loudly and want to try to remove it again but his hand catches mine and I can see he's thinking of something. Suddenly he's grinning at me and before I know what he's doing he points his wand at me, mutters an incantation and then point the tip at his own forehead. Small black letters appear there, an exact copy of mine I'm sure.

"There, that should do it. How do I look?" He lifts his chin a bit a turns his head in different directions so I can look at it from different angles. I shake my head at him. Bubblehead – but a sweet one.

"Just as stupid as me I reckon." He nods.

"Good. Make we will start a new trend. This could be an entirely new way to memorize the curriculum for a subject such as potions! Shall we go then My Lady?" He offers me his arm and I toss my bag over my shoulder and then let him lead me to our common room laughing and joking with him the entire way.

My footsteps echo of the stone wall. It's the only sound to be heard since I'm the only one still up. It's five minutes past curfew and I'm on my way back to the Heads dorm. I've been talking to Prof. McGonagall about a boy I'm tutoring.

He's not very clever, but he really does try to learn transfiguration and he's terrified of McGonagall. I asked her if she, just for a couple of times, could ask him a question which she was sure he would know the answer to, and then reward him with a couple of points. That would do wonders for his self-confidence. She wasn't too keen on the idea in the beginning, so I had to make her see the logic in it.

James thought it was a brilliant way to solve the problem. Said he would never have thought of it himself and I know he's right. He would most likely have thought of much better thing to do – like teaching the kid transfiguration through a prank or something. I told him that but James wouldn't listen, kept insisting that I'm the clever one in our Head team. Well, that's nice of him to say even though I don't agree with him.

James doesn't understand why he was made Head boy, but I do. I'm responsible enough for both of us so I think it's a good thing to have James around to lighten up the mood in prefect meetings and the like. He makes sure I don't bore them all to death. And even though he makes fun of a lot of things he can be serious when needed and people respect him, they listen to him. And if he really wanted to, I bet he could be first in our year. He's a clever one, very skillful. He wouldn't be able to pull all of those pranks if he wasn't. I sigh. I'm beyond tired. It's been a long day with everything going on and I'm exhausted.

After what feels like hours of walking the corridors I reach the portrait that hides the heads common room. Ahh, I'm finally back. I give the portrait the password ("James Sirius Potter is the hottest guy at Hogwarts". - I give you one guess who forced me to change the password into that after he heard about the vote) and enter. James is sitting on the couch waiting for me as it has become a routine for us while being heads together. I'm really looking forward to this time of the day.

"Hi James." I throw my book on a nearby table and let myself fall down into the couch. I can't help but yawn. "Man, I'm so tired; I think I could sleep for two days straight."

"Long day huh?" He puts an arm around my shoulders and I cuddle up to him, resting my head on his shoulder while agree with him. Hmm, sleepy… I love this. I feel so safe and protected. Right here I don't have to be the Head Girl Alice Longbottom, Prof. Longbottom's clever and well-behaved daughter that you can always turn to for advice and support. Here I can relax, James does that to me. He makes me breathe easier.

I know he's a prankster, I do. Merlin knows that I've been the victim of at least a dozen jokes of his, but he's also a wonderful guy that drags me with him to the kitchen under the pretense of being hungry, even though I'm the one who forgot dinner because of an assignment I was doing. He makes me laugh and smile, and one time had made me take a midnight stroll with him even though it was raining cats and dogs. To say we were soaked to the bone would be an understatement. I think I will just close my eyes for a little while, can't harm anyone, can it?... …..….James is trying to wake me up. Naaa, don't want to open my eyes, just sleep, sleeping is nice…Oh, bugger, now he wants me to go to bed saying something about me almost sleeping… Hmm, he's right you know, sleeping is good and his shoulder is very comfortable… Damn he won't leave me alone. I sigh…. Oh well, maybe he's right, I probably should go to bed. I slowly get up and turn to say goodnight:

"Goodnight James, sweet dreams". Then I close the door. I think I will dream about him.

Next chapter coming up soon, involves a lot of embarrassment – oh joy