Of Mistletoe and Holly Leaves

Eleven: Scared?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Each dedicated to a person on FFNet:

Dedicated to Challen Evergreen who I hope is reading this chapter. I also hope they like the chapter. :)

Beta read by CloSalvatore

-l-Lily-l-

I was lying on my bed, reading. When I heard Alice come out of the bathroom.

I was busy reading one of my favorite books, it was a book about using magic. It even had a few nifty jinxes.

" Lily?"

I ignored her. She probably wanted me for makeup or something. And right now, I didn't feel like having her curl my hair or put makeup on. What I wanted to do was read and listen to some music.

" Lily?" she asked, and this time I heard the fear in her voice.

I looked up. " What?"

Her eyes were wide, and she was looking at something. " It's moving. Lily run!"

Suddenly she gave a shriek and practically flew down the stairs, screaming.

I tilted my head and cast a quick glance around.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I sighed and went back to my book. I was at a good suspenseful part when... I noticed it.

I was staring at my book, and my eyes drifted, noticing a brown dot, well blob really, on the end of my bed.

Then my eyes focused on the dot and I screamed.

THERE'S A GIANT RAT IN MY ROOM!

I dropped my book, not caring that the girl was confessing to the guy she liked.

I backed up slowly, trying not to scare the thing.

I slowly backed out of the room.

The rat moved, and I screamed, running out of the room and slamming the door behind me.

I leaned against the door, and slowly peered back in.

The rat was still there.

I whimpered and shut the door.

After a moment I ran, tearing across the Head's Dorm in record time.

I yanked open his door, not bothering to knock and ran in.

" James! GET UP!" I shouted.

I ran into fully into his messy room and looked around expecting him to leap up like he normally did.

Then I heard a snore. It was undoubtedly him

I turned and saw he was still asleep.

His wand and glasses on the bedside table, and he was fast asleep.

Looking past how cute he looked, innocent perhaps...he was sleeping?

I shook my head, he is not innocent. Far from it. He pranks people, I reminded myself.

How could anyone be sleeping in a crisis like this?

I carefully got on his bed and sat down, and then I took his shoulders and shook them.

No response other than another snore.

Panicking, I pushed him this time.

He didn't move.

I shook him again, yelling his name.

He still slept. I looked around and scanned the area.

I considered grabbing the lamp and hitting him, but that might knock him out.

Where was a steel bar when I needed one?

I shook him one last time.

This time, he clutched his pillow harder.

I growled in frustration and glared at him.

Then I promptly did the only thing I could think of.

I pushed him off his bed, and he fell and he hit the floor rather hard and snored on.

I blinked, and looked over the bed, which I was now sitting on.

He groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

" Lily? What are you doing in my room?" he asked.

" Umm..well..." I trailed off, feeling stupid now. It was only a rat after all.

A big. Scary. Giant. Rat.

Yep, this was most certainly a crisis.

" Do you need to talk?" he asked.

I shook my head. " There's umm a problem with my room."

" Can't it wait?" he asked, looking at the clock. " It's nearly three in the morning."

I nodded. " I know. But it's a crisis."

He sighed. " Alright," and got up, picking up his wand and glasses.

I opened my door cautiously as though there was a saber tooth tiger, hiding, waiting to kill me behind it.

Then I opened it fully and pointed.

He looked up, squinted and looked at me curiously. Then he cleaned his glasses with a spell, and looked again.

He looked at me again, as though doubting it was a rat.

I looked at it and then back at James, who was looking at me still.

" It's a um..rat." He sounded as though he was making a simple observation.

I nodded. " A big scary one."

James sighed. " Really? Why not ask Alice?"

I pointed to the stairs. " Alice was having our sleepover and we were about to go to bed. But then she ran out. I expect she went into Frank's dom to spend the night. She left me with this...thing."

He sighed. He raised his wand, but I screamed.

" NO!"

" I thought you wanted it gone," he said, drawing back.

" I do," I said defensively. " I do. But...I don't want you to destroy the tower or something."

He looked at me questioningly. " Then what do I kill it with?"

I shrugged. " I don't know. A shoe?"

James made his way over, and picked up my book.

I screamed, wrestling it from him. " Not my book you idiot!"

He sighed. Then picked up his slipper, which he chased the rat with. I screamed anytime his chase brought him anywhere near me.

Finally he caught it, crushing it mercilessly under his shoe.

I watched in disgust as bits of that thing fell off his shoe.

He wiped the blood off.

I cringed.

" See? And I thought you were okay with rats. We use them to test potions all the time."

I whimpered. " Yeah. But...well...they look...scary. And-and some of them have rabies."

" Goodnight Lils," he said, rolling his eyes.

I was asleep when I felt someone shaking me.

" Five more minutes Alice," I whined.

" It's not Alice. It's me!" I heard James say.

I started awake. " James? What are you here for?"

Yes...why was he in MY room at...I looked at the clock. Whatever the heck the clock said.

" Same thing as you I guess."

" You have a rat in your room? You know I won't kill it. You kill it, you didn't have an issue with it."

He shook his head. " It's not a rat."

I tilted my head to the side, and glanced at the clock. It was five in the morning for the love of Pete.

I got up, trying to not fall over.

I stumbled after James, shrieking when I stubbed my toe on the stairs and nearly fell.

When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was there was a beam of light, from his lamp, suddenly he hid behind me.

" Kill it." I looked behind me where he was cowering.

" Umm James? I don't...see anything." I looked around, trying to see what he was looking at.

Then I saw it. It was a black dot.

I got closer, and James shrank away.

I rubbed my eyes. Was that what I thought it was?

" Umm James? Is that what I think it is?" I asked him and looking behind me to see James cowering in fear.

" What do you think it is?" he countered, some defiance in his voice.

" Well it looks like a spider."

He nodded. " Kill it?"

I sighed. " You're scared of a spider?"

He nodded. I blinked.

" Alright." I turned on my heel and left.

" LILY!" he whined.

" I'm coming back calm down," I said. But despite what I said, he scurried out of the room, clutching me.

" Umm...James? You have to let go of me." I said, trying to pry him off me.

But he was having none of it.

I dragged him back into the room, and as soon as I approached the spider he gave a girly shriek and cowered back to his corner.

I killed it with the tissue, and looked at James.

" Goodnight James," I said. " And I thought you were a tough Quidditch player," I teased.

" That?" he asked. " That was nothing."

I held the tissue out to him and he jumped about a foot, shouting " KEEP THAT BLOODY THING AWAY FROM ME!"

I laughed and went to the door. " Night James."

" Night Lily."