Chapter Ten

SPOV

After I leave Louis' I head straight to the music store. I grab a few interestingly patterned guitar picks, blank sheet music, and a book of popular songs that I think he'll like. I also stop by a nearby convenience store and get some wrapping paper. After the incident with James we don't have enough paper to finish wrapping the presents we had bought, but I try not to think about that.

I decide to walk home instead of apparating and get some fresh air. It's windy, but at least it isn't snowing. I tilt my head back and let the wind blow against my face for a minute before quickly walking in the direction of the apartment.

The Weasley Potter Christmas party is tomorrow and I need to get home, wrap presents, pack, and find something to wear before we go. We're going to be there until New Years Day and I really wasn't sure if I was okay with staying that long with James in the same house. I've been avoiding James as much as possible, but it looks like I'll be enlisting his help.

As I was thinking I hadn't realized I was home. I thump up the stairs and pull out my key to unlock the door. I step through the doorway and gently kick the door shut behind me. "James?" I call tossing my keys onto the kitchen counter. "I need help wrapping the presents!"

I start down the hall and drop my bags onto the bed in my room and take off my coat before going to James' room. I knock and push open the door gently. I flip on the light, but I don't see him. I quickly scan the room and find the window open. What an idiot! I think as I walk over to shut it, but before I do I notice a figure curled up on the roof. "James?" I whisper. The figure looks up. What the bloody hell is he doing?

"Hi," he whispers back, giving me a weak smile.

I grab one of his jackets and climb swiftly out the window and on to the roof which is about a foot below his window. I walk over and plop down next to him. "What are you doing out here?" I ask softly.

"Just thinking," he replies looking up at the stars. "Looking at the stars."

I nod. "You can't see them too well because of all the light, but they're visible."

"I love stars," he whispers. "They're constant. You can always count on them to be there."

"Yeah," I say, gazing up at them. "I guess." What was I supposed to say to that?

"I really am sorry," says James, looking over at me. "For everything."

I bite my lip and return his gaze. "I know you are. I just wish you didn't have to be." I lean my head against his shoulder.

We sit and gaze at the stars for awhile. It's slightly uncomfortable, but also kind of nice. We don't talk much, just occasionally to point out different constellations.

Eventually we get up and head back into the warmth of the house. While he shuts the window I slide his jacket off of my shoulders and hang it back on the door knob to his closet.

"So why were you looking for me?" He asks as he takes off his jacket.

"Oh, I kind of need help with the rest of the presents," I say sleepily. "We didn't finish wrapping because we ran out of paper remember?"

He nods. "Yeah I remember. I guess we better get wrapping."

We head into my room and I quickly stash his presents away and pull out the ones we had bought for his family. Most of them were already wrapped thankfully and were in a bag out in the living room.

We sit down and get started. However I think James was more of a hindrance than since I have to rewrap most of the ones he wraps.

When we get down to about twenty presents left I yawn and lay on the floor surrounded by presents. "I'm sleepy."

James smiles slightly. "I can finish wrapping them if you want."

"Are you kidding? I've had to rewrap almost every present you've wrapped," I yawn, curling up in ball.

"Then I'll just try harder and if I mess up you can rewrap them in the morning."

"What about your presents?" I ask, shutting my eyes.

"I dunno what about my presents?"

"I haven't wrapped them."

"Then wrap them," he suggests as he wraps another package. It at least looks acceptable this time.

"Okay," I yawn. I grab his stuff and take it to the kitchen with some wrapping paper and the second tape dispenser. I quickly scribble a short message in the blank sheet music book as well as the card. Within a few minutes I've already forgotten what I've written, but at least the wrapping looks good when I've finished. I slide them under the tree and walk back to my room where James is wrestling with his tape dispenser. I quickly untangle him, noting the fact that he doesn't do well with Christmas items. Before I lay down on my bed and fall asleep with him still wrapping and the lights still on.

I wake up with James laying next to me and all the presents in neat stacks against the wall closest to the door. He kept to his word and for the most part they look really nice. He even added bows on some of them. I slide out from underneath his arm and head to the kitchen where I grab two mugs of coffee. He had started drinking it sometime during seventh year when I made some for him and the guys. He prefers it over tea now. Which is good, because I hate tea.

I kick open the door and sit down on the edge of my bed. I rest my coffee on the side table before I try to wake James up. "Jamie wake up! It's Christmas and I have coffee!" I wave the mug in front of his face and he starts to stir. "James wake up!" After a few more seconds his eyes blink over and his mouth forms a small smile.

"'Morning."

"'Morning sleepy butt!" I say, quoting what he had said to be awhile ago.

He sits up and I hand him his coffee. "Thanks," he murmurs taking a sip.

"Do you want to do presents before we leave for your Grandma's?" I ask, sipping on my own coffee.

He nods, only about half awake and we both head out to the living room and sit down in front of the Christmas tree. He hands me my presents and I hand him his.

"You first," I say shyly.

He puts up a fight, but he's a bit too tired for it and gives in easily. He unwraps the guitar picks first. He smiles. "I needed these! I keep losing them."

"Of course you do," I chuckle, rolling my eyes. At least he didn't hate it.

He unwraps the books next. He skims the one with songs in it and stops a few times, making comments about which songs are his favourite and which ones he wants to learn first.

"Open the other one too," I mumble. "I think I wrote in it last night."

He opens the second one and it turns out I wrote more than I thought. I read it upside down as he reads it. For the most part it just talks about how his first song in here has to be about me and how he's very good at guitar and singing.

He looks up at the part about him writing a song about me and assures me that it'll be the first song in his book. After me explaining that I was barely awake when I wrote it and that he doesn't have to he says "Your turn." Clearly he's tired of listening to me babble.

I pick up the first package and slowly unwrap it. Inside is a beautiful cashmere scarf. "Oh James I love it!" I stroke it softly. "It's wonderful, thank you." I wonder if it took him just as long to get this as I did to get his presents.

He smiles widely.

I start on the next one. This one is heavier than the scarf one. Obviously, I mean most packages are. I unwrap it quickly and pull out a cardboard box. In the box is a memory card for my muggle camera and another box. I open this one and find a really nice camera inside. I gasp. "This is so expensive James. Oh Merlin."

"You deserve it. You love photography, but you have a really crappy camera." I pull him into a hug. "Besides your other one isn't going to last much longer anyway."

"That's true," I laugh. "Oh thank you so much!" As if he gave me this. I know he's just trying to win me over, but wow was it nice.

"No problem! Now let's eat and pack!"