attached | james potter

six: midnight patrol

James checked his watch for the seventh time.

Biting his lip, he leaned back on the sofa, bored. The seconds ticked by, torturously slow. The fire in the common room crackled peacefully in the dark, and sitting there alone, he felt strangely comforted. He yawned, rumpling his hair and was just considering giving up and going back to his room when suddenly, footsteps sounded and someone appeared at the bottom of the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

"Potter?" Brooklyn ran a hand through her hair, pulling it up into a careless ponytail as she stumbled towards him. "Sorry I'm late. Might've fallen asleep."

He sat up straighter, feeling a smile grow on his face. "Ah, there you are, love. I was starting to think you'd leave me hanging."

She took a step closer and he felt his breath hitch in his throat. She was wearing sweats and a simple, flimsy tank top which may or may not have been slightly see-through. He tried to ignore the flush creeping up his neck and instead, focused on her eyes, which were a brilliant green as always.

She yawned. "Merlin, I hate midnight patrol duties."

The urge to flirt with her was far too great to ignore. He was only human, after all. "Look on the bright side! At least you get some quality time with me! Both of us, alone together at night, wandering the corridors, ah, think of all the possibilities!" he winked and she rolled her eyes. She was just about to say something witty when she shivered slightly as a breeze blew in through the open window. James hurriedly took off his sweater, handing it to her. "Love, you're cold. Here, take this."

She shook her head hurriedly, pushing it back to him. "Oh, no, you use it. I'm fine."

Ignoring her protests, he took it and put it around her shaking shoulders gently, biting his lip as his fingers brushed against her bare skin. He wondered if she felt that same electric spark that he always did.

"Thanks," she said, smiling graciously and he noticed that her voice had dropped down to a whisper. It took a few seconds for him to realise approximately how close their faces were, he could count every single one of her ebony eyelashes. For a moment, they stood there silently, gazing at each other, and he felt a strong urge to kiss her, his fingers itching to run through her hair. Her lips looked so soft, so inviting. The flames of the fire danced slowly, casting shadows over her face.

A pang of disappointment hit him as she suddenly cleared her throat and looked away. He coughed awkwardly, his eyes dropping down to the ground. Why did she always have to have that effect on him? He was James Potter, for crying out loud. He made girls blush, not the other way around. He might flirt shamelessly with Brooklyn all the time, but the truth was, she made him extremely nervous. Flustered. It was like he wasn't himself at all around her.

"We should probably get started," he offered and she nodded. "Yeah. C'mon, Potter. My eyelids won't stay open for long."

They walked out the common room together in comfortable silence.

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"Did we go past the Ravenclaw tower yet?" Brooklyn asked softly as she held out her illuminated wand, the light flickering faintly as they walked down an empty corridor together. So far, they'd caught a couple snogging behind a tapestry, but nothing more eventful than that. Once in a while, they'd run into Mrs Norris, Filch's cat. She kept giving them suspicious stares and angry hisses before scurrying away.

"Yeah, we did, I think. Nothing there."

Brooklyn nodded, coming to a halt, and he stopped beside her. "Should we head back?" She inquired, tilting her head, but James was too busy staring at her to fully comprehend what she'd asked. She looked beautiful, even though she'd just woken up and it was way past midnight. And Merlin, she looked bloody amazing in his sweater. Maybe he should let her wear his clothes more often. Well, that was something a boyfriend would do, which sadly, he wasn't.