eden ➡ james f. potter

08: wake up.

this place is right where you need to be

A WAVE OF EMOTIONS THREATENED TO DROWN JAMES AS he saw Cecilia being flung into the lake. The first one to take over was fear when he realized that she was not coming up. Adrenaline rushed through his system and as the boy ran towards the lake's end, he only had time to kick off his shoes before he dove into the cold water.

While Peter and Sirius looked out for any sign of James and Cecilia, Remus had run back into the castle to inform the headmaster of what had happened.

As time ticked on without a reappearance of his best friend, Sirius was becoming antsy. The Black had started to strip, prepared to dive into the lake himself, when a disruption of the its surface got Peter's attention.

"Sirius! There!"

James had started to get out of the water, holding the Lestrange girl bridal-style in his arms. There were a few small cuts scattered over James' face as well as Cecilia's. There was also a long gash on the girl's leg, blood running from the incision and dripping into the lake.

"Grindylows," James murmured before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out.

The sixth year Gryffindor awoke later that day in the Hospital Wing.

The room was dark and still, suggesting that it was after curfew and Madam Pomfrey had gone to bed. On his bedside table, he could make out the blurry outline of his glasses (all brand new) and a tray of empty containers.

Huh, must have taken them while I was asleep, he thought.

James slipped on his glasses and once his eyesight adjusted to the room, he observed his surroundings. All of the beds in the infirmary appeared to empty except for the one closest to James, where Cecilia Lestrange was laid, her brown eyes open and wide awake as she stared at James.

The boy visibly jumped and a small smile made its way onto her lips as she spoke softly, like a whisper of wind in the still night, "Did I scare you, Potter?"

"What kind of Gryffindor would I be if you scared me?" he replied.

"What kind of Slytherin would I be if I didn't?"

Her words tugged at his heartstrings as they reminded him of that one night that changed everything for him. A sudden burst of courage washed over him.

"Cecilia," James started, "I-"

However, she cut him off by sitting up. Cecilia winced as she was still feeling the after-effects of the hex that Avery had used on her (she would make sure that he paid for that later) but the girl forced herself onto her feet and limped over to James' bed. He got up to help her but she waved him off, pushing him back onto the bed as she sat beside him.

James kept his gaze on the floor in front of him as his brain went into overdrive. For the past four months, he had wanted to get close to her and now, she was right next to him and he could say nothing. The courage from moments before had dissipated, leaving the sixteen year old feeling small and vulnerable to the girl.

"Potter," she said, "Look at me."

Slowly, the boy dragged his gaze from the ground to the girl next to him. He wasn't sure what he wanted to see in her eyes, lust for him or happiness that he had saved her; what he wasn't expecting to see was tears pooling in her eyes while the only emotion that James could pick out of her was regret.

"Cecilia..." he trailed off, his voice low and full of confusion. Once again, she shook her head and the tears started falling as she leaned into him, holding onto his Quidditch jersey. James instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, her body shaking with silent sobs.