Chapter 6: A Second Go

It is once night comes that Cressida realises just what she had done. She left her mother and her father, the people that raised her from birth, in the dust with the mind to never look back at them. She had left her father unconscious on the ground and her mother in a state of complete confusion and terror, with no idea where her daughter is going. Her mother, a timid and meek woman. Part of her hoped that someone coming to take her daughter away would at least elicit some instinctive motherly bravery. Guess not.

Cressida sits on the lounge, knees resting between her elbows staring out over London. Many of the lights have dimmed from inside the buildings, leaving the outline of the streets clearer. She wonders if Sirius had felt this way. He came to James, eyes red and about to collapse on them, but over the next few days he became himself more and more. It was a relief to him. A final leap that was hard to take, but he took it.

Yet she feels like she is going in the opposite direction. That leaving was easy. And the more she thinks about it, the worse it feels. Her life wasn't as terrible as Sirius'. Her life wasn't in constant threat. She's been hurt a few times, but only when she spoke out wrong or disobeyed her father. All she would have had to do was keep quiet until she could afford to move out. And that would've been what - a year? But she gave up.

Did she give up? It wasn't her decision to leave then and there. It had been Sirius'. And if there's anybody in the world that she trusts, it is him. Had she made her situation out to be worse than it actually was? Or maybe it is his own experience that drives something in him.

There is no way in Merlin's name that she could sort through all these questions tonight. Or alone.

Unwrapping herself from the blanket that had been bundled over her shoulders, Cressida presses her feet against the polished floor and finally looks away from the windows. She walks over to them, drawing each of the curtains shut and cocoons herself back into the small world of 'now' and not the world beyond.

James' door, or the door to her future bedroom, is cracked open unlike Sirius' which completely swung open. Cressida presses her hand against it, nudging it to open further. Like the front door, there is no creaking sound, only the soft movement of air. She's grateful to find the curtain on the window already drawn shut. James is soundlessly sleeping, the blanket pushed down to his waist and his arms stretched up around his head.

It feels so easy to walk towards him tonight. So easy to sit down on the mattress and lay her hand on his shoulder, shaking it gently. There is no sure sign of when he awakens, so Cressida only stops once his eyes are open and pointed at her. He smiles tiredly, turning off his side and onto his back. "You want the bed now? I told you I would take the lounge."

"It's not the lounge," whispers Cressida. "But can I sleep here? It's the company I want."

His brows raise slightly as though intending to question her meaning, but it never carries to his mouth. He grasps the edge of the blanket, pulling it back to open more of the mattress for her in welcoming. Cressida slips in, embracing the warmth left between the mattress and blanket from his body, even in the warm summer. Though in Britain, summer is never that hot, anyway. James readjusts the blanket up to their chests, turning once more on his side which she has noticed that he prefers to sleep on. Cressida lies on her side too, facing him. The bed is designed for a single person but is big enough to hold them both comfortably.

She doesn't want to talk and keep him from sleep, but she can't find the control within herself to keep her mouth shut. "I can't sleep."

"I don't blame you," he answers in a whisper. "You've had a big day." Cressida noiselessly agrees. "I'm glad you're out. I'm glad you're safe, and not just for your sake. Sirius' as well."

"It's always strange to see him like he was," she murmurs, eyes glazing over in memory of how utterly dangerous her best friend looked that day. "It's almost like seeing a different person."

"He's been strange since we left King's Cross. Every day, all he would think about was getting you out." James breathes heavily through his nose, his own eyes drifting to point at nothing as he speaks. "I understand he was worried, of course, I was too, but he was insane about it. It was like he thought you were about to die every second that we waited. Seeing him relaxed tonight was honestly a relief."

Cressida smiles tightly, her hand crawling upwards until it reaches his upper arm that bends back to hide the rest of his arm under the pillow. Her fingers run over the fabric and muscle underneath. "He's always been the dramatic one."

"Part of me thinks he wasn't. Not this time." A delicate hand runs along her waist, then around to her back. He was waiting for her to touch him first. "He knows that you're strong, which is why he never told us before. But something scared him enough this year. After he told us. I saw the change in him."

Cressida couldn't fathom where the idea would have come from. Her family wasn't at the station. There would be no sign of any danger. Nothing different. "Does he even know?"

"If he does, he hasn't told me."

The hand on her back drifts downwards, the tips of his fingers lightly scratching down to the small of her back. His fingers pull the bottom of her shirt upwards enough for them to sneak underneath, and Cressida jolts at the icy touch. James laughs warmly, not stopping the movement.

"We should go out for breakfast in the morning," she murmurs, purposely ignoring how his fingers spider around the canvas of her back. "We could go find a bakery or a café that opens early."

"I think everything will be open by the time Sirius gets up," he drawls with a roll of his eyes.

Cressida smiles. "He doesn't have to come. Just you and me."

James' eyes close over, a long and heavy sigh passing through his nose before they open once more. His fingers reach the bottom of her bra strap, running along the band until he reaches the front and then travels down the middle of her stomach along her navel. "Is this our second date?" he finally responds with a teasing grin.

Cressida laughs aloud, falling onto her back. "Yes," she agrees. "But we should go to sleep or we will have to bring the dog along." James makes a humming noise of agreement but doesn't close his eyes just yet. Cressida rests her head on the side, her hand laying over his arm that is draped across her stomach. They stare at each other. "What?"

James' lips pull upward, revealing his teeth. "Nothing." Cressida rolls her eyes playfully. "One day it'll be something. I promise."

"I better not be on my deathbed."

"Hopefully long before then."

Xx

Cressida's eyes stay narrow, watching as James orders their breakfast. Cressida wanted a bakery, James wanted a café where he could have a tea and breakfast sandwich. So they compromised in this sit down café with a bakery selection. It seemed like the perfect idea until she watched the serving girl eye off James the moment they stepped inside.

The flirty, fluttering eyes and soft giggle at something the boy said. Cressida never used to be the jealous type, but the trait has been becoming more and more apparent over the past year.

James wanders back over with a goofy smile and a numbered stand in hand which he places in the middle of the small square table. "What's wrong?" he questions her almost immediately.

Cressida straightens her back, shaking her head to rid herself of the glare that she meant to dissolve before he returned. "Nothing." She waits a few moments before bringing her thoughts up. "She was flirting with you, you know."

His goofy smile doesn't waver. "I know."

The words hit her hard, but she is hit harder with the realisation that it isn't her place to be upset. James is her friend still, nothing more. "Of course you do," she mutters. He doesn't say anything but his brows pinch ever so slightly, almost curiously entertained by her displacement. "What did you get me?"

"A croissant with ham and cheese," he sings easily, leaning forward and resting his arms against the table.

"Thank you."

They debate what they should get Sirius before they leave and still haven't come to a conclusion by the time the young female server comes around with their plates. Cressida isn't oblivious to the continuously flirtatious smiling, but keeps her eyes pointed low.

Just as she starts to walk away, James calls for her. "Actually, sorry, could my girlfriend get a glass of water." Cressida's eyes dart up, boring into the side of James' face as he sits half-turned in his seat. She glances at the young girl whose face betrays her.

"Of course."

James turns back, smug and actively reading over her expression. "You're mean," Cressida mutters, cutting up her croissant.

"How so?"

"You don't have to lie to turn a girl away. If she was going to ask you out, you could've just said no."

He shrugs. "It was harmless. Besides, it wasn't her reaction that I was after." Cressida pauses her cutting to send a glare his way. She's sure the glare reads differently to how she means it. How dare he try to get that sort of reaction out of her? "Alright then." He leans forward, forgetting about his food. "Do you think I should go up and admit that I was lying?"

Cressida continues the chew her food, slowly, so she has time to think over her answer. He was lying. She knows that, but still hearing it aloud is hard. "Do what you want, James. It's not my business who you are and aren't interested in. Though a Muggle girl might be a tough choice."

"Might be the least difficult one I've made," he snorts, clearly talking to himself rather than her. Cressida sighs. She doesn't want to be difficult for him, but she also doesn't know exactly where she wants to be with James.

Planting a smile that is real for the most part, Cressida says in a much cheerier tone, "I don't think you should."

"No?" James questions carefully.

Shaking her head, she agrees. "No. We're on our second date, remember? And it'd be extremely rude for you to go ask another girl out on a date."

His laugh shows through his shoulders and eyes as he eats. "I suppose it would be," he drawls after swallowing. "Good thing I'm not interested in her." A sudden look of realisation dawns over his features. Pushing his plate forward so he can lean closer to her, he hisses, "This is the second date. Does that mean I can prove to you that I'm bigger than Sirius?"

"James," she sighs theatrically, "I already know who is." His eyes turn off to the side, brows moving through many forms in thought. Her own face morphs. "Merlin, what if you get turned on while an Animagus? Though there isn't much to be aroused by. Ew, no, I'm never thinking about that again."

"Sometimes it just happens!" James defends, holding his palms upwards. "And trust me when I say we've learnt to hide this stuff from you." Cressida groans, hiding her face behind her hands. "You literally lie in bed with us sometimes, alright," he continues. "You said it yourself–we're horny teenage boys. We can hide it when you're lying right next to us, we can hide when we're animals."

"We can?" Cressida repeats, emphasising the words, laughing in foresight of his possible reaction. "Remus is a werewolf, and I highly doubt that would be on his mind during a full moon. Sirius is gay. And poor Peter is a rat and I'm pretty sure his is microscopic at that point. Which leaves you."

James' mouth is stuck half-open. Words try to create themselves, but they just don't quite make it. "We've already discussed that I find you attractive," he mutters, eyes low but smirking from the left side of his mouth.

"And you like my arse," she adds, enjoying her moment of control. He loves her. She could toy with him for a while. James huffs but doesn't answer her, stuffing his mouth with food. Cressida watches him for a moment, letting the conversation slide.

Chapter 100

Whoop Whoop!

Also, I just finished writing Part 3 at 50 chapters. Little nervous for Part 4 since it's going to be a bit more action-plot driven and my weakness is coordinating those...We'll see how it goes lmao.

I'm glad you guys thought that the letter wasn't too bad .