"I can't do this. I can't do this! I'm not ready!"
"Kaylie, calm down. You're the most prepared out of the three of us," Kent sighed through a mouthful of sausages. Pieces sprayed on his study notes and he grimaced while brushing them away.
"No, really. I'm going to sit down for my written and freeze. I can feel it in my bones."
"KayKay! Sit and breathe. I'll quiz you," I exclaimed, grabbing Kaylie's hand as she passed me mid-pace. She looked at me and took a shuddering breath. She looked pale. She's been revising so much she's hardly taken the time to put food in her mouth. "And will you please eat some toast or something? At this rate you won't finish the exam because you'll pass out mid-way through."
She gave me a stiff nod and plopped down on the bench. There were reactions similar to Kaylie breaking out all over the hall as exams came closer by the second. I grabbed the first set of cards and dramatically cleared my throat.
"What is the spell you would use to stun someone? Please include the proper pronunciation and wand movement." I questioned with a raise of my eyebrow.
"STUPEFY!" Connor shouted suddenly, like he was waking from a stupor. He's been in such an overload lately he would randomly shout out the answers to other people's questions.
"Eat your porridge and let me study!" Kaylie snapped. Connor was already gazing intently in his breakfast, muttering things under his breath.
"It's a slashing movement, correct?" Kaylie questioned.
"Yes and you've done it a million times," I reassured her. She began to jiggle her knee up and down, shaking the bench.
"James, I'm going to fail everything!" she exclaimed again.
"Kaylie, when we get our results back this summer and you get O's on everything you will owe me the biggest ice cream Sunday that Fortescue's offers. And I want a cherry on top too," I declared, taking her hands in mine so she couldn't ring them anymore.
"And when I fail everything?"
I rolled my eyes.
"You can decide what I owe you. It'll be quite a date, trust me. When you fail anything, I'll be keen to see what you come up with as winnings," I remarked, picking up the cards again and looking at them before glancing up at Kaylie again. She was staring at me intently, a slight blush spreading over her cheeks. I looked down at my lap and cleared my throat.
"How do you cast a shield charm?"
ӿӿKaylieӿӿ
"Alright, two days down and our most difficult exam yet. When will this be over again?" Kent groaned as I muttered the ingredients under my breath.
"Well five minus two usually equals three, right?" James snorted, ticking off the different uses of newt on his fingers.
"Yes, simple maths has told us that much," I added. I roughly rubbed the bridge of my nose as I lost count of what step I was on. I took a shuddering breath and attempted to bring my cup of tea up to my mouth.
"Hey! How were your first two days of O.W.L.S?"
I jumped and some tea flopped out of my mug and all over my notes on the table. I cursed under my breath and attempted to brush it off.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Luke declared, giving me a big kiss on the cheek. I thought we agreed that I wasn't going to talk to him until O.W.L.S. were over. James gently took my notes from me and siphoned off the tea. They were mostly dry, but the ink was smudged at places.
"Just think of it as a unique way of studying, Kay. You can figure out what the missing bits are, from heart," James declared, handing them back to me. I gave him a grateful smile and tried to ignore Luke's presence so I could concentrate.
"Yeah, thanks for the hullo, Luke!" he announced sarcastically.
"I know, hullo, but I really need to revise," I sighed.
"You can't really talk to her during exams unless it's actually about exams," James put in. "See, watch. Hey Kaylie, what do you think you're going to have for dinner?"
I shot James a dirty look and plugged my ears with my fingers, reciting the steps for Draught of Peace.
"KAYLIE! WHAT'S THE THIRD STEP FOR DRAUGHT OF PEACE?" James questioned loudly. I shot him another dirty look but answered automatically.
"Stir double clockwise pause for three seconds and then stir triple counter clockwise."
"See, she's in exam mode. So don't even try," James declared, looking stiffly at Luke.
"I don't even get a kiss?" Luke pouted, sticking his face close to mine. I absentmindedly brought my hand up to pat his cheek.
"Honestly, it's just some stupid tests." Luke grumbled, getting up from the bench and heading back towards the Ravenclaw table. I gaped after him, my notes forgotten in my lap.
"Don't let him break your concentration. He just doesn't get it," James spat out, putting a protective hand on mine. My stomach dipped dangerously. I must be really nervous for this Potions exam. I gazed sideways at James as he concentrated on his own Potions text, his lips moving soundlessly. He looked up at me and gave me a small smile.
"I hope he's not too angry at me," I sighed. Kent scoffed.
"He won't be, trust me." He replied.
"You should be mad at him." James announced, looking up at me.
"Because he didn't listen to me?" I questioned hesitantly.
"Amongst reasons," James mumbled, gathering his stuff as the bell rang. He looked agitated, but was waiting for Kent and I at the top of the hall. I looked over my shoulder at his glaring target. Surprise, surprise. It was Luke. When I looked back, I picked up a glance that James was shooting my way. As soon as he noticed I was looking back at him he became very interested in his bag strap. I felt a blush bloom over my cheeks. The look James gave me made me feel slightly uncomfortable but mostly it felt like a huge mug of warm butterbeer dropped deep into the pit of my stomach.
ӿӿKentӿӿ
"Alright, what is the process of human animal transformation?" I questioned with a large gusty sigh and a glance at my watch. It was already rounding on eleven and Kaylie had studied herself out but insisted we go another hour or so.
"That would be, one, concentration-" Kaylie began, punctuated by a yawn.
"Two, visualization-" James put in, bouncing slightly in his seat. Kaylie's head dropped onto James' shoulder and she let out another large yawn.
"Three-" she mumbled, yawning again and closing her eyes. "Something about wrist rotation."
James smiled down on her and brushed a stray strand of hair off her face. I furrowed my brown. What is this?
"Wanna finish that question off, James?" I questioned with a small throat clear. James' head snapped up and he blinked at me.
"Oh right. Wrist rotation, powerful concentration and a clear incantation," he declared with a flourish of his free hand. He immediately looked down at Kaylie to see if he jostled her. She sighed and wiggled a tad, nuzzling her head into James' neck. James closed his eyes for a second, resting his cheek against Kaylie's head.
"So James, when did this happen?"
"When did what happen, mate?"
"When in the world did you fall for my sister?"
James' eyes flew open and he turned beet red.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"James, you're smitten," I laughed, motioning to his hold around Kaylie's waist. He looked down at his arm and blushed again. He brought his free hand up and roughly rubbed his forehead.
"I don't fancy…I haven't fallen…I don't know," he grumbled.
"Dude."
"Don't 'dude' me!"
Kaylie rustled a bit and James froze.
"I'm cool with it. You're better then Luke."
"I don't fancy her," James declared, looking hesitantly at Kaylie, who had somehow fallen into a deeper sleep. The same goofy smile rose on James face and I let out a laugh.
"What?"
"The way you look at her. You totally fancy her!"
"I don't know what I feel!" James hissed fiercely. I raised an eyebrow at him and he let out a snort of air from his nose.
"I have these feelings in the pit of my stomach suddenly. I don't know where they came from…but they're there and I don't know what to do," he whispered. I gave him an incredulous look. He sighed.
"I don't know, Kent…it was like every time I see her with him I thought it was just over-protectiveness. Until…well when I danced with her on New Years and she looked so…and then when she came back from sneaking down to the library and she looked so disheveled…I knew what they were doing down there and I wasn't so angry about the lie but it was really this stupid feeling in pit of my stomach. I wanted to kill him.
"I didn't know what it was until I saw her getting so upset about us not speaking. It was jealousy, Kent. I was jealous of how she was with him and not me! But it's Kaylie, Kent. Kaylie! I can't be feeling this over her…she's your sister. She's—KayKay. I'm just confused," he stated, covering his eyes with his hand.
"So you fancy her? It's not that big of a deal," I laughed.
"I don't know if I actually do fancy her, Kent. For all we know this could be a rebound of Rory and that jealousy I was feeling was actually just over-protectiveness. I just don't know. I'm not going to act on it though. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt her in any way whatsoever. So whatever you're speculating, just don't mention it," he sighed, gently running his fingers through Kaylie's long hair. I bit my lip against any retort that I could have. For all I know he could be right. This could be a rebound. But if it wasn't, I couldn't be the person to tell him that. It was something James needed to discover for himself.
ӿӿKaylieӿӿ
I woke up later with a kink in my neck. The common room was completely dark and empty except for my pillow and I. James was fast asleep and I was still with my head pillowed in his lap. I pushed my hair off my forehead and gazed around me. My notebooks were tidied on an ottoman. I sat up and rolled my neck on my shoulders. My watch read two in the morning. Five more hours until breakfast. James' chest was rising and falling naturally. The bottom of his t-shirt had ridden up slightly, showing his skin and a hint of his abdomen muscles. They were taught and hardened from all the Quidditch training. I felt that feeling in my stomach like a broomstick kicked off the ground too fast.
I tucked my hair behind my ears and quickly wiped the sand from my eyes and quickly checked my breath. Why was I doing this? I was just going to go back to bed. I hesitantly reached out and touched James' shoulder, giving him a gentle shake.
"James," I whispered, shaking him again. He snorted and jerked away, sliding off the couch. He looked up at me from his perch on the floor and stifled a yawn.
"What time is it?" he questioned, stretching his arms above his head as he stood up. His t-shirt rose further and the broomstick feeling settled in my stomach again.
"Around two," I answered when I finally found my voice.
"Merlin, it's late," he groaned.
"You could've gone upstairs and left me here," I remarked, tidying my pile of books.
"I didn't want to wake you by moving you and I couldn't carry you up to your dormitory," James shrugged, giving me a smug smile. I bit my lip and felt my cheeks go red.
"Shall we study? Or just go on up to bed?" I questioned hesitantly.
"Nah, I've got a second wind. Let us dabble in the magical arts," James laughed, sitting down next to me and grabbing my notebook.
"What is the proper diet for a sick unicorn?" he questioned, squinting at the notebook in the dark. I sighed and flicked my wand at the fireplace. It erupted into flames and the room was instantly filled with warmth.
"The nectar of honeysuckles, milk diluted with honey, and a small piece of honeycomb soaked in…shoot what was it soaked in?" I exclaimed, biting my lip.
"Soaked in sugar water, you know that!" James declared, nudging my knee with his foot.
"All honey and sugar, because it's so pure," I recited.
"See you know it. You get too stressed out about this," James laughed, scooting closer to me. He lightly rapped my temple with his knuckles. "You need to learn to relax."
"I don't even know what that word means. Relax. Are you speaking in tongues?"
James stuck out his tongue and waggled it while moving his eyebrows suggestively. I laughed and shoved his shoulder. He smirked and grabbed my waist.
"You're disgusting," I snorted through a giggle. He squeezed my waist again and moved his fingers. I attempted to wiggle out of his grasp while snorting with laughter.
"James! Stop! You know I'm ticklish!" I exclaimed, trying to push him away. The notebook slid to the floor as he picked up pace. I squirmed, shoving my palms against his grip.
"I'm just trying to get you to relax!" James announced with a small snort of laughter.
"You're not helping!" I wheezed, tears streaming down my face. James let go of me and I stopped laughing, settling into a pant.
"You're awful," I groaned, clutching the stitch in my side.
"I prefer devious, thank you very much," James announced defiantly. I stuck my tongue out at him and finally calmed my breathing. I pushed my hair out of my face again.
"We're supposed to be studying," I put in. James rolled his eyes and threw himself across my lap.
"I thought we were relaxing!" He announced, tucking his hands behind his head and looking up at me with his huge brown eyes.
"It's two am. The only thing we should be doing now is sleeping or cramming." I remarked with a slight poke to James' abdomen.
"We could be talking. Does that sound so bad?"
"Yes, unless it's about Care of Magical Creatures or Charms."
"You're no fun," James pouted, furrowing his brow. I hesitantly lifted a hand and smoothed out the wrinkles on his forehead. He closed his eyes and smiled. I moved to gently raking my fingers through his thick and wild hair.
"So talk to me about Charms," he declared, his eyes still closed.
"Well, have you mastered the color changing charm?"
"I believe so. Hopefully I have, because I heard it will be on our practical."
"What about the resizing one?"
"I've got it down to the size of a matchbook. Not quite the thimble size yet," he declared, rolling his head to face me and opening his eyes. I lifted my hand from his hair and gave him a small smile.
"It's all about concentration, James. You're not concentrating enough," I explained.
"Tell me about it and do that thing with my hair again, it felt lovely," James commanded, closing his eyes again. I picked up the stroking of his hair and started to explain the thought process of the spell.
ӿӿJamesӿӿ
"I so destroyed that practical, it's not even slightly humorous," I declared as we walked towards the door to the anti-chamber.
"Because I ingrained it in your brain while you slept?" Kaylie teased, poking me in the side. I grinned down at her and tugged on her ponytail. She slapped my hand away and straightened her hair.
"So what did you do James? To get it down to the size of a thimble?"
"I concentrated, Kaylie, on only that item. Saw it go down and down in size in my mind and it did the same in real life," I declared. Kaylie gave me a proud smile and Kent gave me a knowing look.
"How did you two do?"
"I made my flamingo flash colors brilliantly, but somehow made my snuffbox disappear completely instead of shrink." Kent announced, settling into a bench in the courtyard so we could wait for our Care of Magical Creature's exam to start.
"This is one exam I actually not stressing about. Hagrid's a brilliant teacher and it's easy to memorize. Plus, we already had the practical." Kaylie declared happily. Kent and I gave her an incredulous look.
"No really! He taught us a lot about the creature's we're studying. I think we'll do fine after that practical," she exclaimed, taking an apple out of her bag and taking a nibble of it. "We know half the exam."
"You're a little bit mad, you know that right?" I scoffed. Kaylie shrugged and held out her apple to me. I took a bite of it and leaned back as I chewed.
"I can't wait until it's over with. Just think. This time tomorrow we're done. Well we have Astronomy but that's not until midnight," I announced.
"So technically that statement was completely irrelevant," Kaylie snorted.
"Or you know, mildly correct?" I countered.
"No, just irrelevant because we really won't be done this time tomorrow."
"All I'm trying to say is that we're almost done!" I exclaimed.
"Then why didn't you just say that?" Kaylie shrugged. I gave her an incredulous look.
"Because that would just be boring," I snorted. Kaylie smacked me in the stomach. I grabbed her wrists with one hand and tickled her in the stomach again. She squirmed and squealed, trying to twist out of my grasp. I heard Kent snort as he lifted his text book to cover his face. Someone cleared their throat. Kaylie stopped mid-giggle and looked up at Luke, who was looking like he wanted to bite my head off as of present. I released Kaylie's wrists and sat back against the wall, giving Luke what I hoped was a smug look.
"Have a good exam?" Luke asked stiffly.
"I believe so. Did everything right," Kaylie answered with a slight shrug.
"How long until your next one?"
"About two minutes," Kaylie sighed. Luke's face fell and he gave her a stiff nod. He stooped down and gave her a kiss on the forehead, gave me another glare, and walked towards the greenhouses.
"Someone is green with total envy," Kent coughed under his breath. Kaylie and I gave him identical looks of miscomprehension. Kent rolled his eyes and stuck his book in his bag.
"Shall we go test?" he questioned, offering his elbow to his sister. She took it and smiled at me, offering her hand. I took it and she hoisted me to my feet. She smiled with that single dimple that rarely shows itself dotting her cheek. Kent gave me a raised eyebrow and I wiped the silly grin off my face, following them into the Great Hall for another exam. Kaylie sat down and gave me a small smile as I settled down a few seats in front of her.
"Don't be nervous James," she whispered, leaning forward on her desk. I rolled my eyes at her and gave a small smirk.
"I laugh in the face of exams," I replied in a deep voice. She rolled her eyes and covered her mouth as she gave a small snort of laughter. I turned back around in my seat and fiddled with the quill that was placed on my desk. Her smile flashed inside my eyelids making my stomach twist like a wad of gilly weed. I needed to concentrate and control my mind. I couldn't let things cloud my vision. I needed to work out my feelings and what exactly they were, otherwise people that I truly cared about could get hurt.
