Author's Note: After like, a couple weeks neglect, I'm writing again. I didn't feel like it, honestly. My life's been every way on the board and I'm barely keeping stable. Now that I have a good two hours of silence I believed I should write again. Hope you enjoy the reunion.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Scene/Time Change
~*~****************************~*~
This night had been hell for James. As much as he had hoped to stay dream free, it didn't quite work out so well. He stayed up most of the night, lying in the bed and thinking. These dreams would certainly go away once Sirius returned, wouldn't they? James reached toward his nightstand, grabbing ahold of the watch that was upon it. It was about 2 in the morning...
He could try to sleep again but he was too afraid that he'd be shot back into the hellish nightmares that occurred. He sat up slowly, his blurry vision corrected once he grasped his glasses and put them on. Peter was asleep, as was Remus. Everything seemed okay in Danny and Alex's direction...Was anyone else awake? He had hoped so because he was beginning to feel lonely. He questioned whether or not anyone would be awake down in the common room... That almost never happened, but it could be.
James slowly lifted himself out of the bed and grabbed his robes, draping them over his shoulders so he would keep warm. He still had some socks on so his feet wouldn't be too cold, and he wouldn't make much noise on the way down...hopefully. He took one final gaze over everyone before exiting the dormitory and heading down the stairs.
The whole area as he walked was quiet. He expected as much, but this quiet? A little odd. As James reached the edge of the staircase, he saw a small, flickering flame atop a candle. James slowly stepped down the stairs, only to find that the one person he hadn't expected to be up, was. The firey red hair gave it away, and in the manner it was in, it looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep either.
"Lily?" he asked quietly.
Lily turned around with a questioning sound coming from her, soft eyes falling on James as a smile appeared. "Well hello James. What're you doing up so late? Or...Early, rather?"
James shuffled toward the couch, sitting down next to Lily. "Honestly? I wasn't quite expecting to be up so late. I've been attacked by nightmares and they're ruining my sleeping habits..."
"Aww, poor thing. Care to go into detail?"
"I'm quite sure you don't want to know..." James sighed.
"I understand."
There hung a small silence between the two of them for a few minutes, but Lily broke it when she cleared her throat. "Doesn't Sirius come back today?"
James nodded softly. "Today around noon. I'm anxious."
"I can imagine. I'm happy to see that you're doing so well without him. I mean, you two were inseparable for a while." There was a tone in her voice that hinted -some- jealousy, but there was barely any.
James chuckled a little. "I know...I didn't expect things to happen so...quickly, honestly. I've become a completely different person in less than a few weeks. What happened?"
"You just changed, James. People do it all the time. Nothing wrong with it." She smiled warmly and rubbed his shoulder.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Lily."
The statement was bold and off centre, but it made some sense on some level. Lily seemed taken aback by this statement, but nonetheless did she continue to smile.
"I believe you James. Though what we had will always remain in each of our hearts, I apparently wasn't what you wanted."
That struck James very hard. He coughed, having lost his breath from that comment. "What? You...Lily, I loved you...You -were- what I wanted...But...Sirius..."
"I think it's natural for anyone at our age to feel like they're in love. I certainly did. But if we really were, I don't think Sirius would have done anything to us."
"But, I mean... Can't you love two people at once?"
"In my opinion, no. I believe there's only room in the heart for one person to love like that. If you find them, but you end things, the love you shared is different than that you share with the new love of your life. You go until you find that one person that fills all that you want and desire to give -and- receive. It's all very complicated."
"You've got that right..." James sighed, drooping his head down to his hand. "It was all so confusing, what with Severus and the potion and all those goings on..."
"Don't worry too much about it. When Sirius comes back, everything should straighten itself out in time. Can't let it all get to you."
"Thanks Lily, but...enough about me..." James said softly, changing the subject, "Why are you down here at this early hour?"
"Couldn't sleep. Most of tonight I've been feeling a little...sick, actually. It's..." she was trying to hint to James.
"Oh!" He exclaimed. He knew.
"Yeah. My stomach's cramping up so I can't sleep very well. It should go away in time."
"I hope so."
"Thanks, James. Don't you think you should get back to bed? You don't want to be too tried for your reunion."
"Do you want company? I could stay with you. Or do you just want me to go?" he laughed lightly.
"Though it'd be nice to have some company, I'll have to pass this time. You need your sleep. Now go on, up to your bed you go."
"Yes, mother..." James joked, standing up from the couch, wrapping his robes around him. "I'll see you tomorrow Lily. Sleep well, and....Thanks. Again." He looked away before he turned, a small smile on his face as he headed toward the stairs.
"Good night, James."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Surprisingly, James had got a decent amount of sleep last night. After talking with Lily, he felt as if he was a bit more liberated now...Oddly enough. He was awoken by a hand on his shoulder, somewhere around 8 o' clock. It was Danny.
"James, wake up."
James' eyes fluttered open, and as if he had just closed his eyes, he arose from the bed. He looked to Danny's hand and yawned lightly, rubbing one hand over his eyes while his other reached for his glasses. "Is it nine?!" he asked excitedly.
"No," Danny replied, a hint of sadness in his voice, "only eight. Thought I'd wake you up so you could get some breakfast."
"Oh." James wrinkled his nose a bit, pulling the covers off of himself to reveal the robes he was wearing. Danny helped his friend out of the bed and while James redressed, he scuttled off downstairs to wait with Alex.
Once James had finally finished getting dressed he sighed softly once more, the anticipation of the upcoming hours was becoming more and more apparent. While he was happy Sirius was on his way home, the fact that Snape was coming back almost ruined it...He wouldn't let it happen though. James walked down the stairs and noticed Danny at the edge of the couch, sitting next to Alex, of course. When the two of them saw their friend, they smiled and stood up.
"James? Ready to go?" came Alex's voice.
"'Course I am. Hungry, but anxious."
"Understandable," Danny replied, winking very innocently. Alex didn't catch on.
The three of the boys headed downstairs toward the Great Hall as he did with Remus and Peter, whom of which he hadn't seen in the past day or so. They were...around, but James never seemed to be where they were. He found himself hanging out with Alex and Danny more often now. That wasn't good. Maybe once Sirius came back, Remus and Peter would begin to hang out with him again. He -was- a bit of a wreck...
After the trio had made their way into the Great Hall, lo and behold, there sat Remus and Peter, chatting away at the Gryffindor Common Table. James turned to Danny and smiled a bit, nodding towards them. Danny acknowledged his friend with a simple nod of his head and let James off, him and Alex going to another area of the table.
"Remus! Peter!"
Both boys looked toward James and smiled warmly, splitting themselves apart to make room for James. As James sat down between them, he smiled brightly.
"Where've you guys been?"
"Library, mostly," Remus responded. "That report for Herbology was killer..."
"Well, I've been with Remus most of the time..." Peter stated sheepishly. "He's been helping me with my homework."
James smiled once more. "Ah...Well, you both know what today is, right?"
"The day you and Sirius snog some more?" Remus asked teasingly, nudging his friend in the side.
James blushed furiously at the comment, and while he was nudged, he hid his face in his hands. "Remus!!!"
"Oh, I'm just teasing you James. We know what today is, don't we Peter?"
"'Course we do!" the small one replied with a laugh. "At nine sharp."
"Good..." James muttered quietly, his hands still covering his face. "Though I am upset to say it, today marks the return of Severus now too..."
"Erk...James, don't remind us," Remus stated, making a disgusted face. "The less said about him the better. Let's think about Sirius here."
"He'll probably be very happy to see us again. Especially you James!" Peter giggled, patting his friend on the back. "I bet he missed you. A lot."
"Heh heh...I hope he did..." James whispered silently, looking up to the ceiling of the Great Hall. It was a stormy day outside, and it was visible because the enchanted ceiling was dank and grey. Why did it have to be such bad weather on his love's return?
"I hope the weather isn't like this later on..."
James jumped a bit as he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Once he fell back to his seat, he turned around quickly and raised his eyes upward. It was Professor Dumbledore.
"P-professor! You scared me!"
"Sorry about that James. I just though I should let you know, the Express should be arriving soon, as should Sirius and Severus. Give it a couple of minutes and he should be here."
"H-honestly?! Thanks Professor!" With no thought to it, James stumbled upward and ran out of the Great Hall.
He ran through the halls, pickin at his robes to keep up his pace so he didn't fall. As he finally arrived at the main doors, James pushed outside, the rain beginning to fall. His hair was matted down as the rain began to pound down a little faster. James wrapped his robes tightly around his body as the rain fell down, the cold air beginning to make him shiver. He heard the faint sound of the steam engine of the Hogwarts Express, the sound growing as it drew nearer and nearer.
Finally James could see the giant train riding down the tracks. His heart was pounding, his teeth chattering and his hands shaking. He was cold and anxious...Not a very good combonation. Once the train came to a complete stop, James stood impatiently waiting for Sirius to come out of it. Though he stood there for a few minutes, James was finally rewarded with Sirius' form sliding out of the train, onto the platform. He had bags with him, but once he looked up, he dropped them to the ground.
"JAMES!!!" He shouted, opening his arms up wide.
James couldn't even say anything, he was so shaky. He ran toward Sirius, his arms open as well. He jumped into Sirius' arms, dampening the older boy's robes with his drenched ones, though it didn't matter. They hugged so tightly, both felt as if they were going to choke one another. James stopped hugging Sirius just long enough to pull his lips into a passionate, loving kiss. Sirius slowly began to rub James' back as he kissed him, keeping his love close to him in an embrace.
James finally pulled away from the kiss long enough just to look lovingly into his eyes. "I have missed you...so much..." He dropped his head to Sirius' chest.
"James..." was all Sirius could respond with, keeping the other boy close to him. After a moment of holding his love close, Sirius kissed the top of James' matted, wet hair. "I missed you too, Jamie."
"Sirius...Paddy..." James shook his head slowly, nuzzling toward Sirius' wet chest. "Maybe we should go...inside?"
Sirius nodded, and without much thought to it, he reached inside his pocket and cast a Light-as-feathers spell upon his luggage. Once that was out of the way, he put it around his wrist and picked James up.
"We're doing this the easy way."
"How's this easy for you?"
Sirius chuckled. "Just let me do my thing Jamie..."
James chuckled as well, setting his head against Sirius' chest. "If you say so..." he leaned up slowly and planted soft, rain touched kisses upon Sirius' neck, sighing with content. "Welcome home..."
~*~********************************~*~
Author's Note: Awww....*Tear drops* I've waited forever to write that...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Scene/Time Change
~*~****************************~*~
This night had been hell for James. As much as he had hoped to stay dream free, it didn't quite work out so well. He stayed up most of the night, lying in the bed and thinking. These dreams would certainly go away once Sirius returned, wouldn't they? James reached toward his nightstand, grabbing ahold of the watch that was upon it. It was about 2 in the morning...
He could try to sleep again but he was too afraid that he'd be shot back into the hellish nightmares that occurred. He sat up slowly, his blurry vision corrected once he grasped his glasses and put them on. Peter was asleep, as was Remus. Everything seemed okay in Danny and Alex's direction...Was anyone else awake? He had hoped so because he was beginning to feel lonely. He questioned whether or not anyone would be awake down in the common room... That almost never happened, but it could be.
James slowly lifted himself out of the bed and grabbed his robes, draping them over his shoulders so he would keep warm. He still had some socks on so his feet wouldn't be too cold, and he wouldn't make much noise on the way down...hopefully. He took one final gaze over everyone before exiting the dormitory and heading down the stairs.
The whole area as he walked was quiet. He expected as much, but this quiet? A little odd. As James reached the edge of the staircase, he saw a small, flickering flame atop a candle. James slowly stepped down the stairs, only to find that the one person he hadn't expected to be up, was. The firey red hair gave it away, and in the manner it was in, it looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep either.
"Lily?" he asked quietly.
Lily turned around with a questioning sound coming from her, soft eyes falling on James as a smile appeared. "Well hello James. What're you doing up so late? Or...Early, rather?"
James shuffled toward the couch, sitting down next to Lily. "Honestly? I wasn't quite expecting to be up so late. I've been attacked by nightmares and they're ruining my sleeping habits..."
"Aww, poor thing. Care to go into detail?"
"I'm quite sure you don't want to know..." James sighed.
"I understand."
There hung a small silence between the two of them for a few minutes, but Lily broke it when she cleared her throat. "Doesn't Sirius come back today?"
James nodded softly. "Today around noon. I'm anxious."
"I can imagine. I'm happy to see that you're doing so well without him. I mean, you two were inseparable for a while." There was a tone in her voice that hinted -some- jealousy, but there was barely any.
James chuckled a little. "I know...I didn't expect things to happen so...quickly, honestly. I've become a completely different person in less than a few weeks. What happened?"
"You just changed, James. People do it all the time. Nothing wrong with it." She smiled warmly and rubbed his shoulder.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Lily."
The statement was bold and off centre, but it made some sense on some level. Lily seemed taken aback by this statement, but nonetheless did she continue to smile.
"I believe you James. Though what we had will always remain in each of our hearts, I apparently wasn't what you wanted."
That struck James very hard. He coughed, having lost his breath from that comment. "What? You...Lily, I loved you...You -were- what I wanted...But...Sirius..."
"I think it's natural for anyone at our age to feel like they're in love. I certainly did. But if we really were, I don't think Sirius would have done anything to us."
"But, I mean... Can't you love two people at once?"
"In my opinion, no. I believe there's only room in the heart for one person to love like that. If you find them, but you end things, the love you shared is different than that you share with the new love of your life. You go until you find that one person that fills all that you want and desire to give -and- receive. It's all very complicated."
"You've got that right..." James sighed, drooping his head down to his hand. "It was all so confusing, what with Severus and the potion and all those goings on..."
"Don't worry too much about it. When Sirius comes back, everything should straighten itself out in time. Can't let it all get to you."
"Thanks Lily, but...enough about me..." James said softly, changing the subject, "Why are you down here at this early hour?"
"Couldn't sleep. Most of tonight I've been feeling a little...sick, actually. It's..." she was trying to hint to James.
"Oh!" He exclaimed. He knew.
"Yeah. My stomach's cramping up so I can't sleep very well. It should go away in time."
"I hope so."
"Thanks, James. Don't you think you should get back to bed? You don't want to be too tried for your reunion."
"Do you want company? I could stay with you. Or do you just want me to go?" he laughed lightly.
"Though it'd be nice to have some company, I'll have to pass this time. You need your sleep. Now go on, up to your bed you go."
"Yes, mother..." James joked, standing up from the couch, wrapping his robes around him. "I'll see you tomorrow Lily. Sleep well, and....Thanks. Again." He looked away before he turned, a small smile on his face as he headed toward the stairs.
"Good night, James."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Surprisingly, James had got a decent amount of sleep last night. After talking with Lily, he felt as if he was a bit more liberated now...Oddly enough. He was awoken by a hand on his shoulder, somewhere around 8 o' clock. It was Danny.
"James, wake up."
James' eyes fluttered open, and as if he had just closed his eyes, he arose from the bed. He looked to Danny's hand and yawned lightly, rubbing one hand over his eyes while his other reached for his glasses. "Is it nine?!" he asked excitedly.
"No," Danny replied, a hint of sadness in his voice, "only eight. Thought I'd wake you up so you could get some breakfast."
"Oh." James wrinkled his nose a bit, pulling the covers off of himself to reveal the robes he was wearing. Danny helped his friend out of the bed and while James redressed, he scuttled off downstairs to wait with Alex.
Once James had finally finished getting dressed he sighed softly once more, the anticipation of the upcoming hours was becoming more and more apparent. While he was happy Sirius was on his way home, the fact that Snape was coming back almost ruined it...He wouldn't let it happen though. James walked down the stairs and noticed Danny at the edge of the couch, sitting next to Alex, of course. When the two of them saw their friend, they smiled and stood up.
"James? Ready to go?" came Alex's voice.
"'Course I am. Hungry, but anxious."
"Understandable," Danny replied, winking very innocently. Alex didn't catch on.
The three of the boys headed downstairs toward the Great Hall as he did with Remus and Peter, whom of which he hadn't seen in the past day or so. They were...around, but James never seemed to be where they were. He found himself hanging out with Alex and Danny more often now. That wasn't good. Maybe once Sirius came back, Remus and Peter would begin to hang out with him again. He -was- a bit of a wreck...
After the trio had made their way into the Great Hall, lo and behold, there sat Remus and Peter, chatting away at the Gryffindor Common Table. James turned to Danny and smiled a bit, nodding towards them. Danny acknowledged his friend with a simple nod of his head and let James off, him and Alex going to another area of the table.
"Remus! Peter!"
Both boys looked toward James and smiled warmly, splitting themselves apart to make room for James. As James sat down between them, he smiled brightly.
"Where've you guys been?"
"Library, mostly," Remus responded. "That report for Herbology was killer..."
"Well, I've been with Remus most of the time..." Peter stated sheepishly. "He's been helping me with my homework."
James smiled once more. "Ah...Well, you both know what today is, right?"
"The day you and Sirius snog some more?" Remus asked teasingly, nudging his friend in the side.
James blushed furiously at the comment, and while he was nudged, he hid his face in his hands. "Remus!!!"
"Oh, I'm just teasing you James. We know what today is, don't we Peter?"
"'Course we do!" the small one replied with a laugh. "At nine sharp."
"Good..." James muttered quietly, his hands still covering his face. "Though I am upset to say it, today marks the return of Severus now too..."
"Erk...James, don't remind us," Remus stated, making a disgusted face. "The less said about him the better. Let's think about Sirius here."
"He'll probably be very happy to see us again. Especially you James!" Peter giggled, patting his friend on the back. "I bet he missed you. A lot."
"Heh heh...I hope he did..." James whispered silently, looking up to the ceiling of the Great Hall. It was a stormy day outside, and it was visible because the enchanted ceiling was dank and grey. Why did it have to be such bad weather on his love's return?
"I hope the weather isn't like this later on..."
James jumped a bit as he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Once he fell back to his seat, he turned around quickly and raised his eyes upward. It was Professor Dumbledore.
"P-professor! You scared me!"
"Sorry about that James. I just though I should let you know, the Express should be arriving soon, as should Sirius and Severus. Give it a couple of minutes and he should be here."
"H-honestly?! Thanks Professor!" With no thought to it, James stumbled upward and ran out of the Great Hall.
He ran through the halls, pickin at his robes to keep up his pace so he didn't fall. As he finally arrived at the main doors, James pushed outside, the rain beginning to fall. His hair was matted down as the rain began to pound down a little faster. James wrapped his robes tightly around his body as the rain fell down, the cold air beginning to make him shiver. He heard the faint sound of the steam engine of the Hogwarts Express, the sound growing as it drew nearer and nearer.
Finally James could see the giant train riding down the tracks. His heart was pounding, his teeth chattering and his hands shaking. He was cold and anxious...Not a very good combonation. Once the train came to a complete stop, James stood impatiently waiting for Sirius to come out of it. Though he stood there for a few minutes, James was finally rewarded with Sirius' form sliding out of the train, onto the platform. He had bags with him, but once he looked up, he dropped them to the ground.
"JAMES!!!" He shouted, opening his arms up wide.
James couldn't even say anything, he was so shaky. He ran toward Sirius, his arms open as well. He jumped into Sirius' arms, dampening the older boy's robes with his drenched ones, though it didn't matter. They hugged so tightly, both felt as if they were going to choke one another. James stopped hugging Sirius just long enough to pull his lips into a passionate, loving kiss. Sirius slowly began to rub James' back as he kissed him, keeping his love close to him in an embrace.
James finally pulled away from the kiss long enough just to look lovingly into his eyes. "I have missed you...so much..." He dropped his head to Sirius' chest.
"James..." was all Sirius could respond with, keeping the other boy close to him. After a moment of holding his love close, Sirius kissed the top of James' matted, wet hair. "I missed you too, Jamie."
"Sirius...Paddy..." James shook his head slowly, nuzzling toward Sirius' wet chest. "Maybe we should go...inside?"
Sirius nodded, and without much thought to it, he reached inside his pocket and cast a Light-as-feathers spell upon his luggage. Once that was out of the way, he put it around his wrist and picked James up.
"We're doing this the easy way."
"How's this easy for you?"
Sirius chuckled. "Just let me do my thing Jamie..."
James chuckled as well, setting his head against Sirius' chest. "If you say so..." he leaned up slowly and planted soft, rain touched kisses upon Sirius' neck, sighing with content. "Welcome home..."
~*~********************************~*~
Author's Note: Awww....*Tear drops* I've waited forever to write that...