The Fifth (James Potter X Reader)

Accepted

"I was wondering when you were going to come down. I was worried I'd have to scale my way up there." James said. There was no avoiding it now. I turned, fear coursing through me. James was leaning against a wall his arms crossed over his chest. I quickly looked at the floor and made a beeline for the girls dorm. Before I could make it on the stairs James grabbed my elbow and pulled me back, I struggled against his grip. My back was against her chest and he pulled me back keeping m from moving.

"Please don't go." he pleaded, not in his usual tone, but I still struggled to move. I didn't meet his eyes. I couldn't. He turned me around and I didn't dare meet his eyes.

"Please, don't leave." He said again. I stopped struggling and a tear escaped my eye. James lifted up his hand and wiped it away.

"You shouldn't want me to stay. You frankly shouldn't even want to see me. After what Snape said." I said sadly. He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, surprising me in the process. He pulled me close to him, hugging me tightly. I hesitated, but wrapped my own arms around him. I let a small sob come out and he tightened his arms around me.

"Never mind what, Snivellus said. Nothing could stop me from, being around you." He whispered. I tightened my grip our him, still not believing this as real. Like if I let go I would wake up, realizing that this was all a dream. But it wasn't.

"Even after what he said. How I'm the reason my father is dead?" I asked him, fearing his answer.

"How could you be the reason your fathers dead?" James asked. I hesitated, but thought that this would probably the only time that I would get to say this. I let go of him reluctantly and led him over to the couch. We both sat down, and for the first few minutes we both stayed silent. I finally took a deep breath and looked into the fire, my hands fiddling with hem of my skirt. 

"When I was very little, maybe about 3 or 4, my family was whole. I had two loving parents and we lived in a beautiful home. But that all changed. One day I was out in my front yard, I guess I had wandered a little to far and one thing led to another I was lost in the woods. I didn't know how to find my way back and I didn't know what to do. I fell to the ground crying because I was scared. Then a man came out of the woods. I recognized him from the Daily Prophet. He had escaped Azkaban a couple of weeks back and was still on the run. He told me to come with him and he would bring me home, but I didn't. He didn't like that very much and pulled out his wand. He was about to hurt me, when my father ran up to us. He shot a spell at the man, but he missed. The man used a spell I had never heard of and the next thing I know the man had disappeared and my father was bleeding on the ground. I ran up to him, but it was to late. He was gone. My mother found us a day later and was so distraught. She didn't know what to do. She spent almost all of our money on alcohol and food. She blamed me for his death and as a result I got these," I said pulling up my sleeve to reveal a series of pale scars running up my arm. He gently touched them with his fingers with wide eyes.

"For fifteen years this went on. She didn't only hit me. She insulted me daily. I learned to hide it though. I kept my mouth shut and didn't do anything. She reminded me daily that it was my fault she was beating me. It was my fault, she couldn't work. It was my fault she cried. It was my fault he.......... he was dead. And I believe her. Still do." I said. By the time I was finished more tears had begun to fall. James didn't say a word for a good minute. Suddenly he grabbed my hand and held it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, still in disbelief.

"I didn't want you to be worried and I didn't want to be babied." I explained. More tears escaped my face and begun to fall onto my skirt.

"You should have told me. I could've.......... I could've-" he began, but I cut him off.

"James...... you couldn't have done anything. It would only cause more damage." I said grabbing his hands with mine, and looking into his brown eyes. 

"But-" He began, but I cut him off again.      

"James, you can't change anything. What's done is done and come time I'll have to face my mother again. Nothing you can do will change that." I said. He shook his head his grip tightening.

"No, you can't go back to her, Y/n. You can't, I-I........... I won't let you." He stuttered, racking his brain trying to find a way I wouldn't have to go back to my mother. I shook my head.

"James...... don't worry about me. You have a loving home with two amazing parents." I said trying to calm his nerves.

"You don't." He retorted. I sighed.

"James, just........ don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I've survived 15 years with her. I can 3 more." I said, and with that I pulled him into a hug. He let go of my hands and wrapped them around me, pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we stayed like that for a good minute.

"You can stay with me for the summer. If you'd like, my parents wouldn't mind. They love you." He whispered into my ear after a while of silence.

"James, I would love to, but-" I said but was cut off by him.

"But, nothing, this way you would never have to back to your mother." He said, a certain hopefulness in his voice. 

"James if my mother ever found out-" I began but he silenced me again.

"I would protect you. Please, just think about it." James said, more of a plea. I just nodded and he seemed to relax. When we pulled away from each other I leaned my head on James's shoulder not wanting him to leave. He placed his head on me and I smiled.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

"For what?" he whispered. 

"For not turning away from me. After what you found out what happened." I said. He placed an arm around me and I smiled.

"Like I said, nothing could keep me away from you." He said.

James and I sat there for a while until it was almost past 2 am. I stood once I realized what time it was and so did James. Together we walked to our dorms, but we stopped at the bottom.

"Good night, Prongs." I said.

"Good night, Y/nn." He replied. I smiled and walked up the girl dormitory stairwell. Feeling happy.

Feeling like I still had friends

Feeling.........

Accepted.