cigarette daydream || james potter

"Gathered up your things and slipped away,"

The following morning arrived far too quickly.

Sunlight streamed relentlessly through the tall windows of the girls' dormitory, cutting bright golden beams across the stone floor and directly onto Estella's bed. After the relentless storm that had battered the castle the previous day, the sky outside had cleared completely, leaving behind a crisp autumn morning washed in pale blue skies. The grounds sparkled beneath the early light, every blade of grass still coated in droplets of rain that glittered like tiny pieces of glass.

It should have been a beautiful morning.

Estella hated every second of it.

The moment she opened her eyes, a sharp ache settled behind her temples, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. It felt as though someone had taken a Quidditch bat to the side of her head while she'd been asleep. Every movement made the pounding worse, and when she tried to sit up, the entire room lurched alarmingly.

She immediately regretted moving.

"Oh... brilliant."

She squeezed her eyes shut again, hoping the spinning would stop.

It didn't.

Instead, the headache seemed to grow stronger, forcing her to press the heels of both hands against her temples. Her mouth felt horribly dry, her nose was completely blocked, and the air inside the dormitory seemed unbearably warm after an entire night of too many people sleeping in the room with the windows shut against the storm.

A groan escaped her lips.

She vaguely remembered Marlene insisting on "just one more song."

Then Dorcas convincing everyone to stay up a little longer.

Then Sirius somehow balancing on the back of one of the sofas while trying to conduct an imaginary orchestra.

After that...

Everything became rather blurry.

She slowly pushed herself upright once more, waiting several moments for the room to stop tilting before cautiously swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Oliver, who had claimed the foot of her bed as his own, barely acknowledged her movement.

The black cat cracked one sleepy eye open, watched her with complete disinterest, then tucked his nose back beneath his tail and resumed sleeping.

"I envy you."

Oliver's ear twitched.

"You've got no responsibilities."

No response.

"Rude."

She rubbed at her eyes before dragging herself towards her wardrobe, every step feeling heavier than the last.

The dormitory remained blissfully quiet.

Most of the other girls were still asleep after the previous night's celebrations, and those who weren't had evidently already escaped downstairs. The silence was a welcome relief after hours of music, laughter and crowded conversations.

Estella quickly changed into a comfortable pair of dark trousers, an oversized knitted jumper and her usual boots before running a brush lazily through her hopelessly tangled chestnut hair.

She barely looked in the mirror.

There wasn't much point.

She already knew she looked dreadful.

A splash of cold water across her face helped slightly.

Not much.

But enough.