Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter but the merchandise...which I obsessively own a lot of...
A/N: I originally had this all typed up on my computer back home but FanFiction there was being a bit of a jerk and wouldn't let me access anything. And now I'm no where near that computer and have to type it all again. So if it's not good it's because I'm trying to piece it together. Bear with me.
Chapter Three: The Tour
I squeaked and started to fall backwards when two strong hands gripped me around the upper arms and straightened me out. I stood there, trying to catch my breath from the terrifying moment. When I was no longer panicking I came to my senses and realized that I had grabbed on to James' waist, helping him balance me. I pulled my hands back to my sides and shrugged his hands off of my shoulders.
"Are you o-," he started to say but I cut him off.
"Watch where you're going, Potter. Otherwise you'll give someone a heart attack with that face of yours," I seethed. I wasn't really angry with him. I was more angry at myself for letting him catch me that off guard.
"Oh. It's you," he said.
"Ummm...yeah? What do I look like, a hippogriff?"
"Glasses, Evans," he told me, pointing at his eyes.
I finally noticed that he wasn't wearing those said glasses. I wish I would have noticed that before. I would have pretended to be Petunia or someone. Then I could have saved myself the embarrassment of wandering around with my blanket and pillow late at night. I must have been quiet long enough for him to engage what my reaction was. Which, to be quite honest, I didn't even know what my reaction was.
"Uh-huh. So what are you doing outside the bathroom at two in the morning, besides waking me up more than I wanted to be?" he interrogated.
"Same reason as you I suppose. To go pee," I lied.
"If that's the case then why do you have what feels like a pillow and a blanket with you?"
I was flabbergasted as to how he knew that. My mouth flopped open like a fish as I tried to think of a plausible excuse. Then he started to chuckle as if he had just figured something out.
"You're scared of the storm!" He laughed a little harder at the fact. "I can't believe I forgot."
"Woah! Hold up. First: I'm seventeen. I am not scared of the storm. Second: even if I were how would you 'forget' that?" I asked, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. It wasn't the storm that was freaking me out anymore. Even if it was James Potter that I had for company, I still had someone. It was amazing how one person could banish my childish fears. No, I was scared that he knew my secret. No one knew except Mum and Dad. Well, Petunia knew too but I didn't count her as a person.
"I know that you're scared of storms because when you sit in the common room, and you think you're alone during one, you jump and whimper every time you hear thunder and you bury your head in pillows when lightning strikes. You're absolutely terrified," he told me smugly.
He was right. I hated having homework to do during storms because I didn't want to keep the other girls in my dorm up with a light so I did it in the common room. I felt a little sick at this. But I also felt oddly relieved since someone else knew. And they hadn't blurted it out to the whole word. Even if that person was James, someone knew. But why hadn't he told people? I'd figure that out later.
"You pervert! You spy on me? That's just pathetic, Potter," I snickered.
"That-what-no-I-ugh. You are insufferable, you know that, right? You call me egotistical but you are too! Any normal person would have assumed that I had forgotten something or something else along those lines. But you think that all I care about is you. So you go and make up these wild stories of me being a Peeping Tom! Well you know what? I'm done. I will not try to make the girl of my dreams go out with me if I just get accused for something that I find utterly repulsive. We're through, Evans." And with that he stormed off down the hall to his bedroom.
I couldn't help but follow him. If he left I would be alone again and at complete mercy to the storm. Plus, he was never allowed to have the last word. That was my part! "We were never even on, Potter. You can't end something that hasn't begun. And yes, I was accusing you of being a Peeping Tom. Because you made it sound like you had seen me multiple times and no one forgets a book that much," I informed him.
He spun around on his heel and towered over me. "For your information, Evans, I see you every night during a storm because just like you, I'm terrified of them! So I sit out in the common room where there's light and no one to wake up. But I didn't want people to find out so I hid under my invisibility cloak and let you carry on studying instead of interrupting you like I wanted to so many times! So excuse me for having some courtesy," he fumed. His nostrils were flaring and his eyes were narrowed. From anger or poor eye sight, I couldn't tell.
"Oh," I said, taking a step back and cursing myself for being a prat. "Sorry. I didn't realize...," didn't realize what? That he was a gentleman? Or that I wasn't the only one that was scared of storms?
"Exactly." He started stalking back to his bedroom, and still I ran after him. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. It was completely against my morals.
"Wait! If you're scared of them too then...can we wait it out together? I don't know about you but being around people calms me down. I was actually on my way back to my room from my parents when you ran into me. I had to convince myself I was being ridiculous," I confessed. I figured that if I let him know the truth about how scared I was to be alone, he wouldn't leave me alone.
He turned back, not bothering to hide the astonished look on his face. "Did Lily Evans, as in the Lily Evans, just ask me to stay with her because of a storm? Wow. I never would have thought this day would come," he said.
I rolled my eyes (maybe there was some kind of spell or medicine that would keep me from doing that). "I just don't want you to be alone during a storm. We wouldn't you to go even more bonkers than you already are," I smirked.
"Uh-huh So is that why you just let me know that you still sleep with your parents during one? I at least have the decency to just stay up by myself," he smirked right back, crossing his arms over his chest.
I let out a huge sigh. I desperately needed company. "Okay. You're right. I would feel loads better if you would just stay up with me until it passes. Will you stay up with me? Please?" I whispered in my most pleading tone. I looked up at him through my eyelashes to gauge his reaction. He seemed to be deeply debating it.
Finally, he let out a huge breath and said, "Dammit, Evans! You know I can't resist you when you sound so helpless! Fine. We can hang out until it's over. Just...let me put a shirt on. Then I'll give you that tour from before."
I heaved a sigh of relief as he disappeared behind his door. However, I was surprised by this James. He almost gave up time with me that I was willingly handing over and then he decided to put his own shirt on! Without even being told! He must be losing his mind. I chuckled to myself which earned me a look from James, who had just emerged, that clearly questioned my sanity. And maybe I should have been too. I had just asked Potter to stay with me! Was it a full moon or something?
I shook my head at him and he beckoned me down the hall. We came to the top of the stairs and then stopped. He turned to face me with a look that said "here goes nothing" and reached for my hand. I tried to pull it away before he could grab hold of it but his Quidditch reflexes kicked in and before I noticed it his was firmly gripping mine. I tugged and tugged but he was just too strong.
"Lily! Calm down for a minute! Let me explain," he pleaded. I glared at him for a few moments then urged him to continue. "Okay. Now, the stairs are squeaky and so I need you to stay close behind me unless you want to wake the whole house up. And the only way I can ensure you do that is by guiding you," he explained.
"Okay," I said, closing my eyes and trying to ignore the butterflies that had unfortunately popped up. And this wasn't the first time. I took a few deep breaths then let him whisk me up the stairs as quickly as possible. As soon as we reached the next floor, I wrenched my hand from his grasp. But my hand still tingled from the contact. His face looked a little crestfallen after that. But he steeled himself over and continued down the hallway.
It wasn't as long and didn't hold as many doors as the one below but it was freakishly wide. He pointed to the first door and whispered, "That's Mum and Dad's room. It's connected to the next room," he walked to the next door, "which is a bathroom." The two doors on the left ended up being James' baby room (which I was apparently forbidden to enter) and another guest room. At the end of the hall there was a lone door but when I asked about it, James just looked away and walked back to the stairs. I let him take my hand again and this time we went to the bottom floor.
All I had seen of the downstairs was the foyer, which was huge itself, so I was excited to see the rest of it. I pulled my hand out of his to try and control my stomach and followed him towards what I was assuming was the family room. He gently nudged the door open, obviously trying to keep it from squeaking.
What met my eyes when we entered was not what I had been expecting. I figured it would be decorated in leather furniture or chintz armchairs with antique tables, flowers everywhere, and expensive paintings. But it was far from that. There was a well beaten, comfy looking couch directly in the middle with some lazy-boys on either side. A brown, oak coffee table sat in front of the couch and sported many stains from glasses and drinks. There were also a few scorch marks and what looked to be a child's writing in permanent marker.
"Yeah. I was a bit rowdy as a kid," James laughed nervously when I bent closer to examine the writing. It turned out that it wasn't words, just a bunch of scribbles.
"Why didn't they remove it," I asked curiously.
"For the same reason they don't get rid of my baby or toy rooms," he explained, embarrassment laced in his voice. "They had me at an older age than most people because of work that they never tried to have another baby. So they tend to keep those things around." I nodded in understanding then continued to look around.
I gasped when I saw the TV resting on an entertainment center directly across from the couch. "You have a TV? But you're wizards!" I exclaimed, astonished.
"Mum and Dad are away a lot for work and they didn't trust other people enough to let me entertain myself without them. So they bought one. I like it. Especially the morning cartoons. They're the only reason I wake up before two," he chuckled. I laughed quietly to myself then followed him through another door.
It was so dark I couldn't even see James in front of me, owing to the jump and squeal of fright when thunder ripped through the quiet house, closely followed by a burst of lightning. And since I couldn't see James, I jumped right into him and ended up pushing him over. He then decided to try and steady himself on my arm and I came crashing down on top of him, letting out another small scream. I felt a sudden uncontrollable shaking underneath me and I looked down to find James laughing.
"You make the cutest noises when you're scared," he said bluntly, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. When he continued to move his hand to caress my cheek and my stomach was doing humongous somersaults over and over again, I inhaled sharply and it was as if the world turned upside down. He looked at me with steady hazel eyes that held so much life and wonder in their depths. I stared straight back.
I don't know how long we just laid there but another bolt of lightning broke into my hazy mind and I quickly pushed myself into a sitting position. I put a hand to my face that was suddenly feeling feverish and took some deep, calming breaths as I tried regain control of my emotions. I barley registered when he propped himself up on his elbows and only distantly heard him softly call my name. The walls were spinning and everything seemed to be growing in size while simultaneously closing in on me. I couldn't catch my breath and the sound of James' worried voice was very muffled.
I hadn't had a panic attack since I was 10 and got lost down a dark street I wasn't familiar with after hanging out with Severus. The worst part was that I normally got violently sick afterwards and I really didn't want to vomit all over the floor in front of James. Actually, I didn't want to vomit at all. It was at the top of my list of worst fears along with storms while alone and ladybugs. They were simply creepy.
I stood up, causing everything to spin faster and staggered towards the stairs, trying to get to the quickest bathroom that I knew of. Unfortunately, stairs, which are tricky in the dark anyways, were ten times harder during my panic induced brain setting. I tripped quite a few times and it took me a good five minutes to get up them. But get up them I did.
I crawled to the bathroom, and without bothering to turn the light on, I headed for the toilet. I lifted the seat up and bent over the clean porcelain bowl. My body started heaving and tears sprung to my eyes.
The remainder of my bathroom expedition is too horrible to recall but afterwards I laid curled around the base of the toilet, holding my arms around myself as I cried silent sobs of fear, panic, and confusion. I must have blacked out, because one minute I was on the floor, and the next I was halfway down the hall, held aloft in someone's arms. I curled into the warm chest and continued to cry.
A/N: So there it is. Chapter three. And this time I'll actually be able to upload it! I'm pretty excited. Thanks everyone for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. It means a lot. :) Also, if I get too bored tonight I might post the next chapter. I finished writing it last night and it's the longest so far. Which makes sense. It took me practically a month to write it. Well...review please. If I get five more after this chapter maybe I'll decide I have nothing better to do. ;) Bye for now!
Marah:)