7. Wizard Angst
James sat in his dorm on his bed, bouncing a red rubber ball off the floor and onto the wall before catching it and doing it again. Thump, Smack, Catch. Thump, Smack, Catch. Thump, Smack, Catch.
It wasn't late yet, the sun was still struggling to maintain its hold in the sky, refusing to yield to the rising moon and stars. It wouldn't last long, within the hour the night would chase the remaining light from the sky, leaving behind the pale moonlight and the twinkling of stars.
Thump, Smack, Catch. Thump, Smack, Catch. Thump, Smack- James misses the ball and hits the ground again, more of a bump this time as it lost its power during its short journey. The dull bump against the floor becomes fainter and fainter until the ball rolls off towards the window, hitting the curtain and disturbing the doxy that had somehow managed to survive the summer without being discovered.
James sighed. He didn't want to stand up, didn't want to reach over to his nightstand so he could Summon the ball or conjure a new one. He just wanted to sit on the edge of his bed and watch the dying night give its last breath before it gave in.
Merlin I'm dramatic. He thought to himself. He smiled for a second but then it fell just like the sun had-
What the Hell is wrong with me? James shook himself. He figured now that he was back in school, away from home, away from the constant reminder of-. He had figured being at school would help him shake it off, help him become himself again, but if anything, with the exception of the brief moments, he was worse.
James lay back on his bed, swinging his feet up as the rest of his body went down. Putting his left foot under his right he pushed his shoe off, not even bothering to untie it. His now shoeless right foot pushed the remaining shoe off of his left foot. He pulled his legs towards his torso and pulled his socks off, throwing them on the ground next to his discarded shoes.
Snap out of it! James yelled at himself. He was tired of feeling angry and upset. That wasn't James Potter. James Potter was the guy who told jokes and played pranks, who was always laughing and smiling. Wallowing in self pity he closed his eyes and started to pull the curtains of his four-poster closed.
The door to the dorm opened. Expecting Sirius, or Remus, or even Peter, James looked up. It was Frank.
Rolling away from his dorm-mate and pretending to be asleep, James heard the sounds of disrobing and then getting into clothes. He heard Frank go into the bathroom and brush his teeth and then come out.
"I know you're awake James," Frank told him nonchalantly. James didn't respond but stayed in his position.
Frank paused. "Look, I get it, you need time. Just remember there are people that care about you mate. I just walked past Sirius and them, they look lost without you. Take your time but bounce back. If I can you can."
James sat up and opened his mouth to talk to Frank who was already gone, the ajar dormitory door telling James where he had gone.
James sighed and shook himself. Literally. He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair and shook his hands after he had succeeded in making himself look even more disheveled. He stood and shook his arms and went into the bathroom, shaking his legs out of his pants and pulling his shirt over his head. He got into the shower and put the water as hot as it would go, causing the bathroom to steam up instantly as he stepped into the sauna like shower and closed the curtain.
He took a shower, not with any soap or anything as he had already showered in the morning, letting the water flow from his head down to the rest of his body, with the heat almost burning him and the steam making it so he could barely see his hand in front of him. He stayed in the shower for a good fifteen minutes, relishing in the steamy environment and the torrent of water and then, regrettably, he turned the water off, leaving the showerhead dripping, pushed the curtain open and stepped out onto the bathroom rug, grabbing his towel and drying his head, then his arms and torso, then his legs. With the hand that wasn't holding the towel he wiped the condensation from the mirror and looked at his reflection.
James Potter wasn't going too sit around and mope for the rest of his life. James Potter wasn't going to shun himself from society. James Potter wasn't going to be beaten by something that had happened almost four months ago. He wasn't going to forget it, he was going to remember it, and live. He survived, and so did his mother, no matter how horrible or traumatizing an experience, he had survived; things could've worked out a hell of a lot worse. And, if for no reason other than that (and there were tons more reasons) he was going to fight back, show the world who James Potter was.
He finished drying off and got dressed, just in a spare t shirt and a pair of jeans. He ran his hand through his hair and left the dorm, leaving the red rubber ball ignored on the ground, wrapped up in the bottom of the curtains.
James flew down the boys' dormitory stairs, taking two at a time. He almost tripped but managed to catch himself on a wall, thankful that he had tripped at a part where the stairwell was curved. He entered the common room and scanned the mass of red and gold for his friends, finding them just where he expected them to be. He started making his way over to them, spotting Frank as he did so and smiling at him. Frank smiled back, giving James a nod before returning to his conversation with Alice.
"Hola mis amigos," James greeted his friends in a horrible accent, not making the 'H' silent and mis-saying 'amigos'.
Peter looked up at James surprised, Sirius smiled at him and moved over a little to give him a place to sit, and Remus put his book down and responded, "Hola James, ¿Cómo estás?"
"Bless you," James replied with a smile, gladly taking the seat next to Sirius. "What were you ladies gossiping about?"
Remus shrugged. "Nothing in particular, do you have something in mind?"
James smirked. "You know me so well Moony," Remus rolled his eyes at the name. "How's about a prank? I've got some brilliant ideas,"
He wasn't okay, not yet, but he certainly wasn't going to stop living just because he wasn't feeling great. Plus, pranks made great therapy.
A/N: What's this? Another chapter? Yes, yes it is. It is short, I know, but I like it, and I needed a segue from depressed James. It would've been lazy writing to have him go through a traumatic experience and not have any side effect. I'll have another chapter up soon and I would really appreciate the reviews. Gracias.
