When I see you.. (James Potter)

Chapter 20: it's really about trust

Joy MacGee p.o.v.

"I really want you to be able to trust me", he whispers. Joy sighed, holding onto him a little tighter, realizing that he was the only thing that kept her from freaking out right now. She really wants to believe that she can trust him, really. She takes his scent in, he smells good, he feels warm, gentle. That this was the feeling she was craving ever since the evening of the party, where they first met, she never knew.

"Let me walk you back", he whispers and Joy nods against his chest, letting go of him slowly. They start walking in the direction of the dungeons, slowly and in silence. Joy's head was empty. From the side, she looks at James and back to the stone floor; and sometimes, he does the same.

After a while, they arrive at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, it was empty outside and James lets out a short chuckle. "I always wondered where the entrance to Slytherin dorms is, we knew always that it was around here somewhere, but...". Joy stopped listening for a second as he looks into the guy's face. His amusement makes her smile. As she gets up on her toes, she places her hands on James' chest, whose smile now fades. Joy gently places a short kiss on his cheek, hoping he would not realize how her cheeks are flushed red.

"Did Prim tell you about Hogsmeade?", he stutters out. Joy frowns for a second and shakes her head with a confused smile. "Well, her, Sirius, you and I are going together tomorrow", he grins. Joy's smile grows wider, and she nods, letting out a short "okay". He nods as well. This situation might have been awkward, but it didn't feel like that for Joy, she was just happy to be in his company.

"Good night", she smiles, getting a short good night back. However, James stands put.

"You will have to walk away", Joy grins, "I'm not gonna let you hear the password, Potter".

He grins, "alright". He starts leaving still facing Joy. He shrugs his shoulders, "It was worth a try".

Joy laughs and he finally turns around and walks away.

James Potter p.o.v.

James' heart was aching, next to his cheek obviously. After this amazing moment with Joy, he just feels sorry. She opens up to him about trust, when he had just broken it, lied to her face, together with all her friends. He keeps saying to himself that that's what he had to do, for her, to protect her, but then he is not even sure what he protected her from. From spending time with Lucius, a possible follower of Voldemort, or from spending time with Lucius, a threat to him as Joy might fancy him more than James.

He does not hurry to get back to the common room, not worried about being caught by McGonagall, or Filch. This could not worry him less, on top he has enough excuses: the permission sheet from Madam Pomfrey, or he's gonna say that he talked to Evans, his fellow head student of Gryffindor, and he's patrolling to see whether any Gryffindor students wander around after curfew. Either way, he unnecessarily thought about it as he didn't get caught, obviously, the one time where he would've had an excuse, he didn't get caught.

Standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, he mumbles "red Peruvian Vipertooth" and the portal swings open. Upon his entrance, three people get up from the couch, bombarding him with questions. Prim, Sirius, and Peter.

"We made it huh, she really believed it", Sirius grins.

James shrugs his shoulders, not so amused that their plan went well.

"Sorry again, for hitting you", Peter stumbles excitedly.

"I'm just glad she didn't notice anything, she would've freaked", Prim sits back down on the couch. She lets out a sigh, apparently also not so amused of lying to her friend.
James hears another sigh from the chair by the fireplace. It was Remus, who was not at all into the plan and refused to participate, which James did not take any offense for. "That all, just so she wouldn't be with Lucius", Remus laughed ironically, "way to go, Prongs, taking an unnecessary shiner for a girl's heart".