CHAPTER 3: A ROOM DIVIDED

I was standing in line at the front desk of our hotel, waiting with as much patience as I could muster for my room key. It seemed to take an eternity, but it was finally my turn. Of course, James was nowhere to be found. He had obviously gotten distracted by something and wandered off, not that I would expect any more from him. When I reached the front desk, the man behind the counter asked for my name.

"Um, hi. Lily Evans and James Potter. We made reservations earlier in the month." I stood there bouncing on my heels, my patience slipping as the man looked up our names in the register.

"Lily Evans, James Potter...Evans, Potter..." he muttered as he flipped through the reservation cards. "Ah! Here we are. Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter. It's good to see you are staying with us. Please sign here," he slid a guestbook across the counter towards me and I signed on the first blank line then pushed it back to him. "If you need anything, please just call the front desk. Your checkout time is 12:00 PM on Friday. Here are your keys, and you and Mr. Potter enjoy your stay."

He slipped two room keys across the counter towards me, and I grabbed them. As I left the desk, I looked down at the pair of keys I held in my hand. What I saw made my breath catch in my throat. Both had the same number on them- # 317. My eyes widened. No, no, no. This can't be right. There must have been some mistake. I turned back around and walked to the desk. The man glanced back up me and asked, "Yes, Ms. Evans? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Um, actually there is, sir. I think there's been some mistake. You see, these two keys have the same room number on them. I believe Mr. Potter and I were to have two separate rooms." My face was flushed. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks. It's okay, Lily. This is just one big mistake.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Evans. It's stated clearly in your reservations you requested a suite with two occupants," he said, fiddling with our reservation card.

I shook my head. This couldn't be happening.

"W-w-well, is there any way I could get another room? It doesn't have to be fancy or anything. Just to get us by. You see, I wasn't really expecting to be staying with Mr. Potter."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Evans. The hotel is booked for the next two months. We don't have any vacant rooms. We could check other hotels in the area, see if any have vacancies..."

"Oh, no that won't be necessary," I said hesitantly. I paused for a moment to sort out all the jumbled thoughts in my head. "We'll figure it out. Thank you, though."

"Sorry for the mix-up Ms. Evans. Our offer still stands if you wish. Just dial down to the front desk if you change your mind. Have a good night."

Oh yeah, I'll have a great night. There was no way in hell I was going to have a good night while James Potter slept in the bed next to-…oh my god! What if we had to share a bed, too? This wasn't right in any way. Damn Potter to hell; it wasn't really his fault...but I could be mad if I wanted to. If I'd been with Remus I wouldn't have cared. Sharing a room with him would've been like sharing with family. But of course, something had to go wrong. I knew something like this would happen.

I scanned the lobby and soon picked out that head of jet-black hair floating next to a giant vase of flowers. His back was facing me, which I was grateful for because I was about to burst into tears. I slowly walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and immediately saw the look on my face.

"What's wrong, Lily?"

Everything.

"There's been a mix-up. They don't have any more rooms, Potter. We have to stay..." I gulped.

Oh my God, I'm going to cry.

"TOGETHER."

His reaction was the complete opposite of what I had expected. He actually frowned.

"What...why? How'd they fuck this up?"

"They said the reservations called for one room with two occupants. We don't have two rooms, James. We have to...share."He thought about it to himself for a minute.

"But they have to have another room free? It doesn't matter if we have to pay extra. I can have my father pay the bill-"

"No, James. I've already been over all this with the man at the front desk. They're booked for the next two months…at least! We're stuck." I sounded miserable.

"Well, it can't be all that bad. It just seems like a big deal right now because we're both tired. I'm sure I can find somewhere to sleep - the hallway perhaps. I won't bother you. Don't worry." He awkwardly patted me on the shoulder and smiled at me.

"Ugh, let's just get to the room. My feet are killing me." I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the elevator. Being in a muggle hotel, we had to push our trunks on a trolley, but James was nice enough to take care of it. Once we were inside the lift, I pressed the "Level 3" button and waited patiently as we started to rise upward. I looked over at James, who was trying to figure out where the sound of music was coming from.

"First time in a muggle lift?" I asked him. He looked at me and grinned.

"Yeah. This is wicked! Where's that noise coming from? The music?"

"Oh, it's coming from that speaker box up there near the roof," I said, as I pointed to the inconspicuous square of black plastic mounted on the wall.

"Whoa. Do you ride in these things often?"

"Oh, yeah. Everyday." I joked.

The bell sounded as we arrived on the third level and the doors glided open to reveal an ornately-decorated hallway.

"Our room is 317. That'll be this way," I said as I read the sign that pointed to the right. We walked along the corridor until we found the door labeled, "317".

"Well, this is it," I said as I tucked the key into the hole. I turned the doorknob and walked inside.

"Whoa," I heard James say behind me. I had to agree with him. This place was beautiful. Plush furniture littered the floor in the living area. A roaring fire was burning brightly in the grate, and freshly-cut flowers were strategically placed in vases all around the room. A dim light was cast by an ornate glass chandelier, illuminating a mini bar, which James ran towards immediately. I, on the other hand, had a preoccupation with the bedroom.

I gasped as I flew the door open. Yes! Two beds. And not just any beds. They were the big ones, with white and fluffy down bedspreads, plus pillows to die for. Oh, and did I mention the canopies? We had canopies! I think I was justified to say I was in heaven. Relief flooded me and I couldn't stand it anymore. I slipped my shoes off, backed up, and made a run for the bed. I launched myself up and the air and landed with a small plop on the soft covers. Aah. That was fun. All of the sudden, I heard a yell and James jumped onto the bed beside me. I couldn't help but laugh. He on the other hand, was giggling like a little kid.

"Wow, I haven't done that in ages!" He said, gasping for air as he rolled over to face me. "These are comfy beds."

"Yeah, they...a-a-are." I said as I yawned. "I'm awfully tired, James. We need to figure this out."

"Yeah, okay. Um, wait. I have an idea." He stood up from the bed, swished his wand, and a rope appeared about 6 feet from the floor, stretched from wall to wall between the beds.

"Now, all we need is a sheet," he said as he rummaged through the dresser drawers, finding an extra set. He walked back over to the rope and tossed the sheet across it, so that a makeshift wall was formed.

"Ah, there we are. Now you have half of the room to yourself, and I have the other half. Perfect."

I had to admit, James was pretty clever when he wanted to be. I smiled. This wouldn't be so bad.

James head popped out around the sheets.

"Anything you need, Lily?"

"Oh, no thanks, James. I could do with a bit of rest, though."

"Oh, right. Well, I guess I'll say good night then." He said, and with that, he disappeared behind the sheet.

"James?" I called. He immediately stuck his head through the gap again.

"You rang?" Cute.

"Thanks. For everything."

"No problem, Lils. Good night." I had a sudden urge to hug him. No, Lily. N-O.

"Good night, James."

I fell asleep there on the bed, not even bothering to put on my pajamas or get under the covers, smiling at the fact that only feet away, James was doing the same.

Updated:7/12/11