What About Quidditch?

Rain, My Hair, and other Assorted Nightmares

The next thing James knew, he had fallen asleep, and woken to the sound of a Nightbird singing. He grumbled a bit, and dozed off again. He was awoken only a few minutes later by another noise, this one much louder. Thunder boomed, and what had been a beautiful, clear night soon turned into a rain soaked one. The first few drops came slowly, then it began to pour.
Fred woke first, swearing under his breath, and soon the others followed. All the bed rolls were taken up, and soon everyone was inside. Everyone but Hailey. She was asleep on the ground, oblivious to everything around her, and getting soaked. Dom gestured to James, silently telling him to get Hailey.

James debated waking her up, but she looked to peaceful. He couldn't just leave her lying there, though. He stared down at his feet. In the rain she was so pretty, even with her wet hair falling across her face. He hadn't been lying while they were playing truth or dare.

In the next few minutes, he raged an inner battle. The James Sirius Potter, the one that everybody knew, was awesome. He was the Captain of the Quidditch Team, the Son of the Chosen One, and had half the girls at school falling all over him. That James wouldn't hesitate to lean right, sweep her off her feet, and kiss her now. But Hailey was his friend, and you didn't do that to a friend. Even if he really, really wanted to.

But still, he had always felt something towards Hailey. The roaring envy and jealousy when another boy wanted to talk to her or ask her out. He had done a Lily on her, having the Wotter boys scare all of the spineless twaps away. She was a sister to him, and he was sure that he was only a brother to her. James groaned. Why couldn't he just ask her out, and live happily ever after with her, pulling pranks and being idiots till the end of their days?

Deciding to ignore the questions in the morning, he swept her up. She was lightweight, and he could have levitated her, but this was better. She gave a happy moan in her sleep, and cuddled closer to James. James let the shivers run down him again, and then slowly carried her back to the common room. She was wet, but she would dry in the coziness of the Gryffindor tower. Everything was still, and peaceful, the last embers of the fire crackling down. He nearly carried her to the girl's dorms, but then remembered the charm. Not knowing what to do, he slowly headed up the stairs to his room, gently laying her on his bed. The other boys were already fast asleep in bed. She looked so peaceful lying there, so beautiful. He couldn't help thinking that. Then he conjured a mattress and bedding for himself, and slept on the floor.

~Hailey's POV~

I woke up this morning in a different bed. I was so shocked I nearly fell out of it. I didn't remember getting with a boy last night at all, or getting drunk, or anything of the sorts. Then I remembered very vaguely someone carrying me down. I glanced over the side of the bed. James lay there on a mattress, his hair ruffled beyond its usual state. He was wearing a Weasley jumper. Good lord know how Nana Weasley can make them for all of her children and grandchildren. Even Harry still wears one, much to James and Lily's disgust.

Slipping off the bed, I knelt by his mattress. I checked the room to see if anyone was around, but they all appeared to be gone to breakfast. Hopefully they didn't see me through the hangings around James' four poster. That would be quite some explanation.

"James, it's time to get up..."

He moaned and rolled over. I snickered. Pointing to my throat, I uttered Sonora.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER! RISE AND SHINE, IT'S TIME TO GET UP!"

Well that got him out of bed quick. He gave me a look a pure disgust, and vanished his mattress.

"You couldn't have done it any kinder way, could you? For the boy who carried you down here last night, and let you sleep in his bed?"

So that's how I got down here. I repressed the shudder down my spine. Since the day I met him, I had loved him. I also was his best mate. It takes a lot of willpower not to turn green eyed with envy when he asks your opinion on his latest girlfriend. Dom promised me someday he'd come to his senses, but I willing to bet not. And believe me, among my family and the Wotters, there's probably a million galleons going around for when me and James finally get together.

He waved his hand in front of me.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

I realized I had been examining the floor in great interest, and rolled my eyes at him. That's one of the benefits of being his best mate, not his girlfriend. I can tune him out whenever I like.

"Oh Hailey? Are you there? Or should I get Madame Pomfrey and tell her you've been playing in the rain all night?" James suggested innocently.

"Oi, knock it off. I'm hungry and breakfast is calling my name."

"So?" James asked. "Let's go!"

"James, I need clothes to wear. I can't exactly prance around school in my pjamas!"

He muttered something that sounded a lot like 'girls', and pointed toward the wardrobe. Dom always insisted on us keeping some clothes in their room, in case of emergencies. Don't ask me what emergencies, I haven't even thought of it till now. I suppose if Iris locked us out of our room.

We have an absolutely lovely dorm with only one flaw. There is one girl, Iris, that holds a particular grudge against anyone or anything associated with the Wotters. In particular, she hates me, partly because of a prank me and James pulled on her in 2nd year. One of her favorite mechanisms of torture she uses against us is locking us out of our dorm until we can get Rose to perform the counter-curse.

But shaking myself back into reality, I went over and grabbed the clothes to change in the bathroom. There was a pair of jeans that were obviously from Dom, because they were slightly tighter on me than her veela body. I pulled on a red sweatshirt that must be James', because it was way too large for me.

It only took one look in the mirror to realize something was dreadfully wrong. Sometime during the night, it would have appeared that an owl had nested in my hair, for how knotted and tangled it was.

"James!" I yelled.

"What?" he asked. "Aren't you ready to go yet?"

I stalked out of my bathroom and gestured at my hair. He looked at it boredly.

"So? I repeat my earlier questions; what? And why are we not down at breakfast eating sausages yet?"

"My hair!" I barked. "Don't you boys own a brush, or a comb, or something?"

James held up is hands. "I mean, yes, but I don't like other people using my brush. It's very sensitive."

"Where is it?" I demanded, and held my wand to his chest.

"Oi, wait! It's here!" He grabbed it and handed it to me.

It took me another fifteen minutes to detangle my hair, all of which James sat disgusted on his bed, pointedly tapping his foot.

"Merlin's beard, Hailey! By the time we get down there, I will be as old and grey as Nearly Headless Nick! And my tummy!" He announced melodramatically, sliding to the floor. "I'm so hungry I may have this carpet for an appetizer."

"I'm done," I announced, leaving the bathroom and chucking James' delicate comb at his chest.

On my way out, I scribbled an airplane to Dom. Rose had replicated the kind they had at the Ministry for our uses at the castle. If a teacher looked at it, it would look like a piece of old homework.

"You need new jeans. And a brush. Or I need to put some in the boy's dorm. Tell you why later..."

>> So, a rather short chapter. I have to admit, this is not as fun to write or to read as I would have liked. But it adds character development, for both James and Hailey. And you get to hear Hailey's POV for the first time! How does it sound?