Rainy Days [James Potter]

Chapter 35

Music blasted in the ears of every student in Gryffindor Tower. Those studying in their rooms were forced to either give up or join in, and those sleeping were awoken with a pleasant surprise.

The party raged on and Robin received her fair share of compliments for her commentary, but the spotlight remained on Padfoot and Prongs, the ultimate dynamic duo, doing shots by the counter. The other two boys, Peter and Remus, had drunk almost as much and were stumbling across the dance floor, hiccuping and laughing.

Robin, however, stood by the side, sipping on some butterbeer, somehow deemed 'the responsible one'. Not that she minded, of course; she preferred herself sober and much less likely to spill all of her secrets. Still, she longed to be carefree like the rest of the seventh years, but how could she? Her future lay in the hands of either parents who never cared for her, or her boyfriend, who was currently throwing up in a girls purse.

It didn't seem like a difficult decision, at first. James was incredible, but so was the risk of dying if she joined the order after Hogwarts.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her drunken boyfriend stumbling towards her, smelling strongly of firewhiskey (no surprise there).

"Hello, Kitty." he slurred.

"Hello, James." Robin resisted the urge to giggle. "It's Kitty now, is it?"

"It was always Kitty!" he argued, spilling some alcohol on the ground.

"Whatever you say." she hid her grin with her mug of butterbeer.

"I think you're really cool." he confessed, still slurring his words.

"I think you're really drunk." she replied, taking his arm, "And we need to get you to bed before you vomit on me." she said, pulling him up the stairs.

"Are you taking advantage of me?" he asked, tripping and almost falling flat on his face, but she held onto him so he didn't fall.

"No, you won't be sleeping with me tonight, I'm afraid." she laughed quietly at the suggestion.

"Don't laugh! You'd be lucky to be in bed with me." he glared accusingly.

"I'm sure that's true." she comforts, doing her best not to drop him.

James suddenly stops in his tracks and pulls Robin by the hand so she's only a few inches away. The smell of a warm campfire and grass from the quidditch pitch is the only thing that fills her senses, drowning out the scent of firewhiskey from earlier. Her breathing becomes uneven.

"Kitten-"

"I'm a lynx."

"Kitty, I have to tell you something." he tenderly took her hands and and placed them over his shoulders, then pulled her towards him by her waist. "I think I love you."

The effect was immediate. Robin's eyes widened and her breaths became shallow. She almost tried to pull away but thought better of it. How could he say that? They had only been together for a month and a half. Granted, it was longer than any of her previous relationships, but it was still too soon. Her palms started to become clammy and she opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, desperately trying to say something, anything, but no sound came out.

"Kitten?" James asked hesitantly. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, a sudden reminder of how strongly inebriated he was.

"You don't mean that." She said shakily, "You're just drunk. It's messing with your head."

"No!" he protested, "I've never been more sure about anything in my life!" he tried to look her in the eyes but her gaze fell to the ground.

Did she love him? I mean, she definitely felt strongly towards him. She wanted to be around him all the time. But no matter how she felt, she couldn't tell him that. Not when she was doubting herself and her motives for this relationship. Not when she was questioning her future. And his future. And the more she thought about it, the more she realised that they didn't fit together.

"Look it's okay if you don't say it back." he told her in a soft voice, "I don't need you to. I don't want this to come between us." his grip on her tightened and she felt almost safe for a second. But still, there was the ever-present problem clouding her common sense.

I don't deserve you, she thought to herself, her expression waery and hesitant.

"Kitten, say something." he begged. She could almost feel his desperation. "Please."

She finally looked up into his hazel eyes and realised that she could never let herself hurt him like this. "I..." she trailed off. She could just kiss him and this whole nightmare would be over. They could forget this. "I need to go. Please... Just don't follow me."

She pulled free of his grip and fled the scene.

I'm sorry for this cliffhanger. (sike)

Anyway, this authors note is to inform you that the book will soon be coming to an end. I can't guarantee a specific amount of chapters, but I'm thinking two, plus an epilogue.

This book has taken me a while, but I've finally made it near the end, and it's kinda sad tbh. But I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

Next chapter will be up on Wednesday the 24th June. Hope you guys are ready. It's intense