Filch opened the herbal room for us, and it was a mess. At first, he stood
glaring at us as we worked and then Ms. Norris ran in and she must have had
urgent news the way old Filch waddled out of the room. I was angry enough
to want to sue, but rational enough to know that suing would only get me in
more trouble. I continued working on my half of the herbal room, putting
desks to the proper positions moving pots sweeping up soil and stopping
every so often to wonder why I was sent here.
After circa two hours, my half was done. I could've danced with glee except dancing brings back wretched memories sometimes. I looked over at Evans's side and sort of felt bad that she was only done with a quarter of it. We couldn't do the shelves until the room was entirely cleaned not that Filch was here to supervise, but I Decided it best to stick to the rules and a prank would deal with the old man and cat duo later.
She smiled a thanks when I crossed sides. I showed no response as I picked up the desks that were too heavy for her to even push. She did the sweeping, I did the picking up. All we needed was a baby screaming its butt off and it would be rather like a family. I wanted to slap myself for the thought. Family? With Evans? Hadn't I sworn to never become a husband and remain a bachelor for life? I looked outside. A full moon beamed its light down upon me. Heat rushed towards me, and the injury on my chest burned. Being a teenager sucks. I stumbled away from the window and fell leaning against a wall to catch both energy and strength. If it couldn't touch me, my teen-age-ness wouldn't react. I was safe. Against the wall. I looked up and Evans was staring at me. I remembered that last time she stared at me, and as much as I hated to lose in a staring contest..I will not relent to what occurred. I looked away and turned my focus to the ground. "What?" my voice came out deeper then it normally does. I moved closer to a corner where darkness could envelope me.
"What happens to you why one moment you are strong and the next you can't do much of anything?"
"Nothing," I lied. Well, what'd she want me to say, "Oh I turn into a werewolf. Just go and get a silver bullet and kill me with it."
"Why don't you tell anyone but your little friends anything?"
"Because they're my friends." If glaring could release flame the floorboards, Evans's shoes, and the little air moss bits would have been consumed by the wrath of fire. Evans's shoes? I looked up. She was too close. Much too close. I was cornered. Again. Corners need to be damned to purgatory. "Evans if you take another step, you'll be on my calf. Move."
"Not until you explain," she said, glaring down at me.
"I don't owe you an explanation. You.half vampire." That was rude. Girls don't like rude. Was she a half vampire? I didn't know. Just that no one likes vampires with the whole blood thing so.
"How'd you know?" she asked, shocked. So I was right. I wasn't even trying and I was right. Cool.
"Well, I know now."
"Great," her voice trembled. I looked up to do something that should be condemned as illegal. I met her eyes and she was crying. What'd I do? I was just.If she found out I was half werewolf it would be different because she'd shove that fact in my face over and over and the school would find out. Is that what she thinks I'd do to her?
"Evans, don't do that. Please? Crying is.is.well, its actually healthy but it also..makes you lose watery stuff," I said feebly. Smooth James, reeeeeeeeal smooth. "I won't tell anyone. It's all right if you aren't exactly average, but what at Hogwarts IS?" The sobs continued and my guilt increased. I couldn't have called her a half dragoyle or troll or something. I just had to say half vampire. What do you do with a crying girl? You comfort them. How do you comfort Lily Evans? James Potter doesn't do such. So much for internally asking questions. But after all, she IS a girl. How much different from other girls can she be? But.that would require physical contact. I swallowed my pride and thought of this as a guilt-healing process.
I pulled her into my lap. "It's all right. Calm down." She cried into my shoulder. I really, really, REALLY don't like the comfort process. "Lily, what are you crying about?"
"If.if an oblivious guy like you can tell I'm-I'm-I'm a h-ha-half v-v- vampire then everyone must know." I wanted to push her off of me. I am NOT oblivious.
"No one knows. Except me. And you. And of course your parents. And maybe your sister. And probably Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers." She cried harder. Note to self: I'm bad at this. "Look, whoever didn't know isn't going to find out."
"Promise?" Her voice quivered. I felt guilty. Guilt is a damned emotion.
"Yes, I promise."
"Thank you," she sighed. Guilt is gone, but she's still in my lap. Someone get her off. Please? I'll give a million sickles. Or I can just say, "Lily get off." She won't start crying, will she? She shouldn't. It's my lap. I have the right to get people off of my lap. But I'm the one that put her in my lap. I wondered if I started bawling like a baby if she would get off. But that would ruin my image. I swallowed what pride I had twice tonight. I'm not doing it again. Her head gently rested itself on my shoulder. Oh great. Now I'm becoming a pillow. I wanted to scream. Screaming is bad. Wait a minute. Her head is on my shoulder. Her mouth is close to my neck. AHHHHHHHH!! I'm doomed. She's going to bite me!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Someone save me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I calmed down when I realized she wasn't biting my neck off yet. Her breathing deepened and the time between her breaths slowed down. I didn't need to look to tell she had fallen asleep. On me. Now, this wouldn't be so bad if I knew how to wake her up. Some people need cold water dumped on their heads to be awakened. Others need loud noises. Others need physical contact. Sunlight is yet another form.
I sighed and cradled her as I stood up and went to the Gryffindor Commons. It was past two in the morning. Filch wasn't back. We had cleaned the room. We did as we were told aside from the reorganizing the cabinets, but under the circumstances I think I'll pass. I realized I didn't know what to do with her. I can't go in the Girls' Dorm and she can't come in the Boys' Dorm. Damn the nation. I sighed again and brought left the Commons for the Marauders' Masked Room. I used the hand that wasn't supporting the sleeping girl to write my signature in the air. The painting of the dancing fairies split in two and I entered. I lay her on the bed as gently as possible and moved to the couch. I pulled a blanket out from underneath the couch and fell asleep.
After circa two hours, my half was done. I could've danced with glee except dancing brings back wretched memories sometimes. I looked over at Evans's side and sort of felt bad that she was only done with a quarter of it. We couldn't do the shelves until the room was entirely cleaned not that Filch was here to supervise, but I Decided it best to stick to the rules and a prank would deal with the old man and cat duo later.
She smiled a thanks when I crossed sides. I showed no response as I picked up the desks that were too heavy for her to even push. She did the sweeping, I did the picking up. All we needed was a baby screaming its butt off and it would be rather like a family. I wanted to slap myself for the thought. Family? With Evans? Hadn't I sworn to never become a husband and remain a bachelor for life? I looked outside. A full moon beamed its light down upon me. Heat rushed towards me, and the injury on my chest burned. Being a teenager sucks. I stumbled away from the window and fell leaning against a wall to catch both energy and strength. If it couldn't touch me, my teen-age-ness wouldn't react. I was safe. Against the wall. I looked up and Evans was staring at me. I remembered that last time she stared at me, and as much as I hated to lose in a staring contest..I will not relent to what occurred. I looked away and turned my focus to the ground. "What?" my voice came out deeper then it normally does. I moved closer to a corner where darkness could envelope me.
"What happens to you why one moment you are strong and the next you can't do much of anything?"
"Nothing," I lied. Well, what'd she want me to say, "Oh I turn into a werewolf. Just go and get a silver bullet and kill me with it."
"Why don't you tell anyone but your little friends anything?"
"Because they're my friends." If glaring could release flame the floorboards, Evans's shoes, and the little air moss bits would have been consumed by the wrath of fire. Evans's shoes? I looked up. She was too close. Much too close. I was cornered. Again. Corners need to be damned to purgatory. "Evans if you take another step, you'll be on my calf. Move."
"Not until you explain," she said, glaring down at me.
"I don't owe you an explanation. You.half vampire." That was rude. Girls don't like rude. Was she a half vampire? I didn't know. Just that no one likes vampires with the whole blood thing so.
"How'd you know?" she asked, shocked. So I was right. I wasn't even trying and I was right. Cool.
"Well, I know now."
"Great," her voice trembled. I looked up to do something that should be condemned as illegal. I met her eyes and she was crying. What'd I do? I was just.If she found out I was half werewolf it would be different because she'd shove that fact in my face over and over and the school would find out. Is that what she thinks I'd do to her?
"Evans, don't do that. Please? Crying is.is.well, its actually healthy but it also..makes you lose watery stuff," I said feebly. Smooth James, reeeeeeeeal smooth. "I won't tell anyone. It's all right if you aren't exactly average, but what at Hogwarts IS?" The sobs continued and my guilt increased. I couldn't have called her a half dragoyle or troll or something. I just had to say half vampire. What do you do with a crying girl? You comfort them. How do you comfort Lily Evans? James Potter doesn't do such. So much for internally asking questions. But after all, she IS a girl. How much different from other girls can she be? But.that would require physical contact. I swallowed my pride and thought of this as a guilt-healing process.
I pulled her into my lap. "It's all right. Calm down." She cried into my shoulder. I really, really, REALLY don't like the comfort process. "Lily, what are you crying about?"
"If.if an oblivious guy like you can tell I'm-I'm-I'm a h-ha-half v-v- vampire then everyone must know." I wanted to push her off of me. I am NOT oblivious.
"No one knows. Except me. And you. And of course your parents. And maybe your sister. And probably Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers." She cried harder. Note to self: I'm bad at this. "Look, whoever didn't know isn't going to find out."
"Promise?" Her voice quivered. I felt guilty. Guilt is a damned emotion.
"Yes, I promise."
"Thank you," she sighed. Guilt is gone, but she's still in my lap. Someone get her off. Please? I'll give a million sickles. Or I can just say, "Lily get off." She won't start crying, will she? She shouldn't. It's my lap. I have the right to get people off of my lap. But I'm the one that put her in my lap. I wondered if I started bawling like a baby if she would get off. But that would ruin my image. I swallowed what pride I had twice tonight. I'm not doing it again. Her head gently rested itself on my shoulder. Oh great. Now I'm becoming a pillow. I wanted to scream. Screaming is bad. Wait a minute. Her head is on my shoulder. Her mouth is close to my neck. AHHHHHHHH!! I'm doomed. She's going to bite me!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Someone save me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I calmed down when I realized she wasn't biting my neck off yet. Her breathing deepened and the time between her breaths slowed down. I didn't need to look to tell she had fallen asleep. On me. Now, this wouldn't be so bad if I knew how to wake her up. Some people need cold water dumped on their heads to be awakened. Others need loud noises. Others need physical contact. Sunlight is yet another form.
I sighed and cradled her as I stood up and went to the Gryffindor Commons. It was past two in the morning. Filch wasn't back. We had cleaned the room. We did as we were told aside from the reorganizing the cabinets, but under the circumstances I think I'll pass. I realized I didn't know what to do with her. I can't go in the Girls' Dorm and she can't come in the Boys' Dorm. Damn the nation. I sighed again and brought left the Commons for the Marauders' Masked Room. I used the hand that wasn't supporting the sleeping girl to write my signature in the air. The painting of the dancing fairies split in two and I entered. I lay her on the bed as gently as possible and moved to the couch. I pulled a blanket out from underneath the couch and fell asleep.