Chapter 6
"Evans?" I nearly jumped out of my skin. I had been so engrossed in the Terrors of Transfiguration that I hadn't heard him approach. Immediately, I felt my skin grow hot and I could only hope that my face wasn't incredibly red. A futile hope, given the very nature of my complexion.
"Oh hey, Potter. You startled me." Something in my mind reminded me that I usually answered him with a series of quips, but I was too preoccupied with this blasted assignment that I didn't have the brain capacity to carry on much of a conversation.
"I didn't mean to. I just wanted to ask you something."
"Sorry, Potter. But this Transfiguration assignment is really kicking my ass. I don't really have time."
"Wasn't that assigned last month? I thought you usually finished your homework at least a week before the due date." He said with a smirk. He was trying to mock me, but it was completely true. I liked to do assignments when we received them. I had never had to worry about turning them in late because I always just had them done early. This was a new experience for me, and I hated it. Knots were wound in my stomach so tight I thought I would be sick.
"Yeah! I know, but I forgot to write it in my diary, so I completely forgot about it now and it is due tomorrow…" I trailed off as I tugged my hair in exasperation.
"Woah! Calm down." James's voice had a touch of concern in it. He slid into the chair next to mine. He reached out and took my hand and extracted my hair from its grasp. "It only needs to be one roll of parchment, that won't take that long to write."
"It's not the writing that's difficult. It's the research. If it was on almost any other topic, it would be fine, but botched transformations! I don't know anything about those. All the research I've done is how to execute transformations the right way so I don't end up with a botched transformation!"
"Well, lucky for you, Peter doesn't have the same diligence you do. I've had to help him reverse all sorts of botched spells. Skip the books. I can help you."
"Surely you have something better to do on a Friday night."
"Not really." I found myself locked into his hazel eyes, my heart beating faster. The knot in my stomach tightened and I found myself wanting to tell James to get lost so that I could just focus on my essay and deal with my feelings for him later. Then I remembered how distraught I felt when I realized that I had brushed him off and worried that he wouldn't want anything to do with me again. Yet, here he was, offering me help with no strings attached despite me being nothing but rude to him this entire year.
"Thanks, that would be a big help." Together we hunched over the parchment very close together, which I did not mind at all. The time flew by as he told me some of the mistakes that Peter had made. I had never laughed so much while doing homework. James was right about making it quick. Before I knew it, I was having to write with very small letters to squeeze my final few thoughts onto the page and my sides hurt from laughter.
"Wow. All done." I said setting down my quill and leaning back in my chair.
"See it didn't take too long."
"No, time flies when you're having fun."
"The night's still young. Wanna see what more fun we could have?" He leaned towards me and he had that mischievous grin on his face. The one that definitely meant he was up to no good. My heart was pounding in my chest and half my brain was sounding warning bells, but the other half reminded me of all of my very real feelings for him and how much I wanted to give him the chance to be the man of my dreams.
"What did you have in mind?" I asked cautiously.
"Do you trust me?" He said in that soft sultry voice of his.
"No." I whispered back. He grinned and grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the library. He didn't let go. I didn't want him to. I followed him through corridors and secret passageways. In record time, we arrived at the astronomy tower.
"Wow," I breathed. "It's a wonder you're ever late to class, if you know how to get around the school so quickly."
"It's not about the commute," he said tugging me toward the edge of the tower. "Sometimes I've just got other stuff I got to do."
"Like what?"
"You don't get to know all my secrets, Evans." He said with a mischievous grin.
"I'm sure I can figure them out." I said trying to be equally mischievous.
"Well, here's the first one you can solve." He said, gesturing toward a blanket spread on the ground with a picnic basket resting in the center.
"How did you know I would come?"
"I was hopeful."
"And if I hadn't come?"
"Sirius would've shared it with me." I chuckled as I made myself comfortable on the edge of the blanket. James opened the basket and pulled out a selection of pastries and two bottles of butterbeer. Everything was delicious.
"Did you make these?" I asked, suspicious.
"No, I'm not much of a cook. I got them from the kitchens."
"The kitchens?" I said surprised. "Where are they? How did you find them? Are you allowed to be there?"
James chuckled. Clearly pleased that I was curious. "Perhaps I could show them to you on our second date."
"Second date?" I chill ran through me. I had been hoping that was what this was but I didn't want to feel like a loser and ask. It's not like I was very familiar with what a first date was like. Not that I wanted him to know that. "That's rather presumptuous."
"Again, I'm just hopeful."
