Late Nights - Sweet Dreams

[James Potter]

JAMES LIAM POTTER

[/color]

.
Requesting the presence of Alice Logan.
Time: Fairly late night.
Plot: Lily Evans & Quidditch discussion.

The Gryffindor Common Room was quiet. Apart from a few stragglers still sitting around chit chatting in the corners, everyone was in bed, resting up for whatever the following day might bring. James Potter was one of these few, and he sat on one of the couches staring at a list of names. It was coming down to the wire for Quidditch try-outs. He really didn't mind making tough decisions like these, but the problem was there were far too many to make. He had a lot of good try-outs. Of course, they weren't over yet, and so anything might happen. His eyes darted back and forth between names, blotches of black ink here, but on the field, a lot of tough players. There was no doubt that they all wanted the spots they were trying for badly, and he had very little ideas as to who would win them.

One name did stand out in his mind. Alice Logan. He had been running his finger over the names and landed it on hers. He circled it and nodded to himself, placing a finger to his chin in thought. She was a Chaser, and she was close to par with his skills. She had really impressed him, and seeing as he was hard to please and she was trying at a position he knew so well, that was kind of a big deal. He picked up the quill he had placed on the table and circled her name, scribbling a poorly drawn star by her name. She was a definite yes to the team, unless something crazy happened in the next couple of try-out sessions. He doubted they would, but he always left it open to possibility. He looked through the list one last time, no other names standing out like hers, and then he folded it up and shoved it in the inner pocket of his robes.

The embers in the fireplace were a pretty sight to watch. They seemed to do a dance for anyone who cared to watch, and James found himself indulging in their beauty. He fell backward into the couch and stared, the flames reflecting in his dark eyes as he stared into the abyss, no thoughts on his mind. And it was then that he thought of Lily Evans, that fiery little red-headed girl. So many things reminded him of her, and this was obviously no different. No matter how hard he tried to shake his attraction for her, or even how hard she tried to shake him off of her, he just refused to give up on his affection for her. He interlaced his fingers together and placed his hands on his lap, sighing at the thought of her. She was quite possibly one of the only unattainable girls in the school to him, and yet she was also the only one he truly cared for.

Though he thought he had only been there for a few minutes, at further inspection into the time, he had been sitting in that same spot for twenty-five minutes. This was enough time for all of the other students to head up to their beds and leave him completely alone. He sat up and checked around to be sure he was by himself, and then he stretched out on the couch, now staring up at the ceiling. It was about time to take over for Lucius Malfoy (disgusting excuse for a...) on patrolling the corridors. There was no use in sleeping, but a twenty minute nap might give him a little bit more energy. Then again, he always found ways to rest while wandering the corridors - especially this early into the year, there was very little action.

James shut his eyes, very lightly as he could still see the red flames through his eyelids. And slowly but surely, that vision of Lily popped up in his head again. He liked to picture her when she wasn't interacting with him, because then she was usually wearing a less-than-satisfied expression. Not to say he didn't find her extremely attractive when she was angry, but her smile was infectious. And tonight her beautiful smile was going to lull him into his nap. That it did, as he felt himself drifting, drifting, falling into the first layer of sleep.

[/blockquote][/font]

[alicelogan]

Gritting her teeth, Alice stomped up the seemingly endless stairs towards the Gryffindor Common Room, leaving a long trail of some kind of brown-ish liquid from the end of her robe. Alice was soaked head to toe in something far too thick to be water, and it seemed to be clinging to her. Strands of dark hair seemed to be plastered to her face. Whatever this was, it was never coming out of her hair. She probably appeared absolutely appalling as well, as the slime-like substance coated almost half her face. Chunks of it stuck out of her eyebrows and it looked like it was spilling out of her nose.

To make things worse, at least three prefects had stopped her for being out past curfew. Most of them had believed her when she told him she had been staying after class for extra help in potions. It really wasn't that much of a stretch. They'd sent her on her way, ordering that she head straight for the Gryffindor Tower. Alice wasn't sure where else they possibly expected her to go, looking like the creature in the Black Lake.

Her cauldron had finally done it. It had completely exploded on her. The thing had just... burst. She had no idea how it had happened, but the leading theory was that it had committed suicide, tiered of being abused by Alice's nonexistent potion making skills. She spent the next several hours cleaning up slime and bits of charred cauldron from the potions classroom. Alice had been able to feel the scummy liquid drying and hardening on her face. Eventually Slughorn saw that Alice's skills in cleaning were nearly as awful as her skills in potions and he sent her on her way.

Alice muttered the password to a rather annoyed looking Fat Lady, who was clearly about to be the fourth person to try and turn her in for being out too late. Irritability oozed out of Alice's every pore almost as much as the slime as she held up the note Slughorn had given her. The Fat Lady just gave an offended "Well!" and swung open the door to the Common Room. Alice stomped into the room, drawing nearly every eye.

Seeing a certain James Potter sitting by the fire on the couch, she hobbled over his way. If anyone could make her see the hilarity of her situation it was him. Alice plopped down onto the couch next to him and threw back her head. She let out a frustrated groan.

"Potions will be the death of me." Was all she offered as an explanation. Alice tilted her head and looked over at James, "Can you fix me?" She knew that he wasn't the most academic of seventh years but he was head boy after all. Weren't they supposed to help folks and what not?

tagged for James with 475 words. i am wearing a whole lot of slime and lyrics bornthisway-ladygaga

messagegoeshere

template by deltagrace @ cautiontwopointoh
steal this and ill blast your ears with highly addictive jpop!

[James Potter]

JAMES LIAM POTTER

[/color]

.
Requesting the presence of Alice Logan.
Time: Fairly late night.
Plot: Lily Evans & Quidditch discussion.

Dreams were so mysterious. Some said that they were the cause of one's mind letting go of every thought, hence the reason they often seemed jumbled and discombobulated. Others thought dreams actually had deeper meanings, as though the person's mind was speaking to them in a foreign language, and it took a real psychological genius to figure out the puzzle and piece it back together in the right order. Whatever the explanation for dreams was, they were definitely a tangled mess, and they could range anywhere from organized and proper to wild and chaotic. Even then sometimes they might lie somewhere in the middle of the two, and that was more than often where James' fell.

It started out very simple. Lily was sitting by the Black Lake studying and practicing some sort of magic. It looked very simple, but like she was possibly having a hard time with it. Sirius was talking with James, going on about some fifth year he was in the process of seducing (a fairly normal conversation for the two). Of course, James wasn't paying very much attention to his best friend even in his dreams, because he was too busy ogling his Lily, no matter how boring she was being. Peter and Remus were probably there, too, or maybe not. Dreams were so uncontrollable and random most of the time, and sometimes Sirius even looked like Severus in his dreams. Those were pretty embarrassing, let's-not-talk-about-it dreams.

Lily had finally quit attempting the spell after noticing the awestruck James staring at her from across the way, and she had begun yelling at him. This was the way any ordinary day at Hogwarts might go, and that's what made dreams so damn frightening, when they were realistic like this. Just then, Sirius elbowed James hard in the side, chuckling at old Snivelly Snape coming down the way. Both the boys withdrew their wands from their robes and pointed them at the unfortunate Slytherin, and when their hexes shot at him, he was defended by some anti-magic shield. He laughed and went on toward Lily, who had stood up and rushed to him to give him a great big hug. The two exchanged friendly words, and James felt his face heat up with absolute rage. And then, they're faces moved in to meet in a, no, really? - -

The Gryffindor Common Room door swung open abruptly, and it woke him instantly, and just in time. He sat up quickly and looked at the mess of goo that proceeded to sit beside him on the nice, clean, comfortable couch. "Potions will be the death of me," she had said, obviously completely exasperated by whatever it was she had been up to this late. He couldn't quite make out who it was until she had spoken, but he still felt the need to be sure. He got right up close to her, nose-to-nose, nearly, with a coy smirk on his face. He might have actually put a hand to her face and attempted to brush some of the slime away, but he was afraid it might actually work.

"Alice... is that you under there?" he joked, trying his best to sound concerned. She then asked for his help at cleaning up. Wait, did Alice just ask James for a clean up? This was preposterous. She must have been pretty desperate. James was pretty skilled with a wand, especially with simple spells like this, but he was also very gifted in hexes, and had she not just saved him from that horrible nightmare, she might have experienced one. "Scourgify!"

[/i][/color] he uttered, waving his wand. The slime was thick and he had to repeat the spell a few times over to get it completely removed. "Apparently that stuff was even some sort of match for magic, Alice."[/color]

Putting his wand back into his pocket, he sat back onto the couch. Oh how he wanted to show her his list and give up the fact that he was his only definite choice for their Quidditch team, but he refrained. "Are you ready to try and best me again tomorrow?"[/color] he asked her mockingly. He knew his talent exceeded hers and everyone else's at the school, but she could try, and so could the others. "You aren't doing too poorly, but you could use some help. If I weren't the Quidditch Captain I would loan you some of my spare time, but that would look like I was playing favorites with my friends."[/color] He stretched out, one arm over the arm of the couch and one over the back, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. This was going to be an interesting conversation, if he could just get that confounded image out of his head already.[/size][/blockquote][/font]

[alicelogan]

Alice hadn't even bothered to worry about the mess she was making that would undoubtedly take ages to get out of the couch. She was far too exhausted to bother with that kind of thing. If James was unable to get the goop off of her, Alice would shower nonstop until it came out on it's own, however unlikely that was. If it was still there in the morning she would just go talk to Madam Pomfrey about it. She would almost certainly greet Alice with a snort of laughter and an antidote, but everyone working in the hospital wing would be in bed by that time of night anyway.

It was laughable how many times Alice had been in and out of the hospital wing in the past five years. She'd lost count after seventeen, though she was certain if she ever had the inclination to brag about it, that there was a file somewhere. The usually stoic Madam Pomfrey seemed quite amused by it all, especially the odd injuries like this one. The truth was, the majority of the times Alice ended up in the hospital wing was from potions incidents. She wasn't sure why Slughorn put up with it all. He had never been very fond of Alice, for obvious reasons, why didn't he just kick her out of the class? The only reason she could imagine was that he Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms teacher had gotten together to put in a good word for her.

Alice could just imagine the meeting her teachers had about her. That Alice Logan is clumsy, awkward, and can't pass a test for the life of her. Why on earth do we keep her around? She was sure her Transfiguration teacher would agree. She had only just been able to squeeze out an Exceeds Expectations in Potions last year to get into the N.E.W.T. class this year, and only because she studied 24/7 for that test. She did especially poorly on all her other tests, as she spent almost all her time studying for potions. Still, it was her sixth year and she somehow managed to get into all the N.E.W.T. classes required to study to be an auror: Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology.

Alice raised an eyebrow as James examined her from an inch away. "Alice... is that you under there?" He asked. Alice chuckled.

"No, it's the Giant Squid." She said with a tiered smile.

Alice bit her lip and steadied herself as James drew out his wand, beginning to have second thoughts about asking this particular Gryffindor to clean her up. She didn't want to find herself stuck to the couch when she tried to get up. Alice silently wondered if she could go find Remus instead, but before she could protest, James had already muttered some spell she didn't know. Alice looked down at herself and nodded. Some of Potion X seemed to have disappeared, or at least faded a bit. James repeated the spell a few times and eventually, Alice could feel her face again. She could have kissed him (but she'd leave that to Lily).

"James Potter, you are a lifesaver." She let out a bark of laughter at his comment and threw her arms out to her sides, exasperated. "I have no idea what it was, but my cauldron wasn't too fond of it either." At that moment, Alice remembered her cauldron, resting in shards in Slughorn's trash bucket. "Bollocks! I'm going to have to buy a new one next Hogsmeade trip."

Still, Alice couldn't help but smile when he brought up Quidditch. That was one subject that could always cheer her up. "Are you ready to try and best me again tomorrow?" Alice snorted with laughter.

"I should think so. At least, more ready than some of those first years."

[/b] She said jokingly. Of course, there were no first years trying out, but some of them certainly played like it. Alice nodded, trying to appear as serious as possible when he brought up not being able to help her privately.

"Mmmh. No, I understand. I spend the majority of my spare time with my best friend Lily Evans anyway. I'm sure she'd get bored just watching the two of us play Quidditch." She added with a chuckle. For the most part, Alice did her best to stay out of the famous James/Lily cat and mouse issue, but it was far too much fun to resist poking fun at it from time to time. It was all in good fun, and she thought of the two of them as two of her closest friends, but it sometimes felt as if she were an island stuck in the middle of two warring countries, one futilely but determinedly attempting to conquer the other.

[/blockquote]



tagged for James with 798 words. i am wearing a whole lot less slime and lyrics bornthisway-ladygaga

messagegoeshere

template by deltagrace @ cautiontwopointoh
steal this and ill blast your ears with highly addictive jpop!
[/center][/color]

[James Potter]

JAMES LIAM POTTER

[/color]

.
Requesting the presence of Alice Logan.
Time: Fairly late night.
Plot: Lily Evans & Quidditch discussion.

Not to seem rude, but James had to check the time in the midst of their conversation. He had about forty-five minutes now until he had to leave Alice in the Common Room and patrol the Dungeon areas. He was allowed more area than that, but since Lucius Malfoy and the other Slytherin Prefects made it a point to come into their territory to catch their Housemates, he had decided it was only fair to do the same to them. It was probably much easier to catch a Gryffindor than a Slytherin, as their personalities were most notably "Brave" and "Cunning." Bravery took guts, but it made it a little easier to get oneself in trouble when having courage. Cunning, however... it wasn't fair that those buggers knew how to hide.

It hadn't taken long for all those thoughts to run through James' head, and he was quick to bring his attention back to the situation at hand. He bowed his head and spun his hand over conceitedly. "A lifesaver? Possibly. Gifted in the art of charms? Probably. A man with dashing good looks, an indescribable charm, and a good head on his shoulders? Oh, most definitely." He chuckled a little, regardless of true it was, and how serious he was when he said it. He found even in his arrogance, it was best to make a little of a joke of it... people tended to get upset with him if he didn't.

"Hogsmeade. I'm ready for that trip. Getting a little tired of spending my time cooped up in this castle. I love it, but now that I'm Head Boy I feel like I'm a prisoner of it at this point."

[/color] It was true. His position forced Lily to spend a lot of time she would have normally used keeping away from him instead working side-by-side with him. It was a laughable situation, the meetings they had with professors where they were told they were a team that had to move as one force... James always took a look at Lily's face when they said something like that. Always a priceless expression, one of bitterness but the urge to do right by her title... it almost made him feel bad for her. Almost, but his excitement to be around her overrode any guilt.

Alice made a comment about the "first years" trying out. Not first years, of course, but the maturity and skills of one. "Is that really how we used to be back then? I mean the second and third years, of course,"[/color] he asked, thinking. He reconsidered what he had said, because his maturing process and only recently begun kicking in, and it wasn't very far along yet. "Well, you know, some of us never really grow up entirely - I think that we're the best type to be around. Never a dull moment. Wouldn't you agree?" He ruffled his hair with his hand and leaned his head back on the couch, closing his heavy eyes again.

They weren't shut for long before Alice had mentioned Lily. He should have seen it coming, as she was a mutual friend and a close friend to Alice. His head shot up instinctively at her name. It was something he couldn't control. Even his eyes lit up at her name. Right now he tried to hide the excitement his brain had just experienced. It wasn't too hard to do, what with that horrible dream he had just woken up from... "Lily enjoys watching Quidditch, she just wouldn't want to hop a broom and join us. Besides, one of her best friends and her future husband tossing a Quaffle around? It might just work."[/color] He smiled and his eyes dropped as he thought about her in the stands at the games. He may have been able to play better if he didn't find it a necessity to pick her out from the crowd and check every once and a while if he might have impressed her.

"I don't know if you know this or not, Alice, but I'll clue you in on a little secret."[/color] He motioned her over with his pointer finger and instead moved closer to her. He used his hands to shield his words from the invisible people in the room. "She's a little into me."[/color] He gave her a deliberate nod and fell back into his original position. No matter how late it got or how tired he was, he couldn't help but make a joke of his situation with Lily. She didn't even have to be around and he felt like he had accomplished making her feel uncomfortable. Besides, talking with Alice, he had a good feeling half of the things he said would be told to her anyway.[/size][/blockquote][/font]

[alicelogan]

"A lifesaver? Possibly. Gifted in the art of charms? Probably. A man with dashing good looks, an indescribable charm, and a good head on his shoulders? Oh, most definitely."

Alice just chuckled and shook her head. James was infamous for his arrogance, but it had never bothered Alice the way it did her friends. She liked to think she knew James well enough to see past it. The deeper side of James Potter was a fascinating creature, and one that didn't see much light. Alice couldn't help but wonder why, as she knew one red-headed Gryffindor in particular that would likely find it far more attractive than the conceited and vain "bad boy" facade.

Still, Alice had always found James' arrogance to be just another part of the friend she adored. She saw most of it as a joke anyway, and Alice loved nothing more than a good joke. He, along with the rest of his friends, or the "Marauders" as they had taken to calling themselves were always the ones she'd turn to when she needed cheering up.

Of course, there was only so much a girl could put up with. That Peter Pettigrew fellow bothered her a good deal. There was just something about him that her instincts told her was... wrong. She usually did her best not to judge people to harshly if she didn't know them very well, but there was always that lingering feeling that she didn't quite trust him.

Alice shook her head, to clear these ugly thoughts. She didn't know where they came from and was quite ready to be rid of them. Nodding at his comment about Hogsmeade, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the little town outside the school. Her one escape from the near constant berating of teachers and classes that she would never be good at no matter how hard she tried. Alice was one of those people was didn't have a natural talent for many things. Therefore, it took her twice as long to study for classes she was not fond of, which, of course, was torturous.

But Hogsmeade was the one place she was able to get away from the school without always having it looming behind her. That's not to say that she didn't love Hogwarts. She adored it, every part of it. Alice only wished she could better live up to the educational legacy of such a marvelous place.

Alice was snapped back to reality by the sound of James going on about Quidditch. She just caught the end of what he said, something about never growing up and being the most fun to be around and wouldn't she agree? Alice nodded quickly.

"Mmh. Wouldn't want to spend time with anyone who had."

[/b]

Not surprisingly, Alice caught his attention mentioning Lily's name. The poor girl's ears were probably burning, wherever she was. Alice snorted with laughter when he mentioned being her future husband. As much as she would love to see them together, just for her own personal bragging rights, that was taking it a bit far.

"Thinking a bit far ahead, are we?" Alice said with a smirk, "Might want to try getting her to go out with you first."

She raised her eyebrows when he mentioned a secret and leaned in to listen.

She's a little into me. Another loud snort. Alice silently cursed herself. She needed to stop doing that. In an attempt to not do it again for the time being, she attempted to bring the conversation to a slightly more serious note.

"I'm not saying that I wouldn't kill to see the two of you together, because you know I would. But it has been seven years, James. What are you going to do when the two of you graduate?" Alice wondered if James was even capable of thinking that far ahead, but then remembered the "future husband" comment.

She smiled and leaned back against the couch, her eyelids beginning to feel heavier. She would have to head up to bed sooner or later. She did have more Quidditch try outs the next day, and she was determined to make it onto that team. If she didn't, what else would she do with her time? She could always study. Alice shivered at the thought.
[/blockquote]



tagged for [/color]James with 708 words. i am wearing a whole lot less slime and lyrics bornthisway-ladygaga

messagegoeshere

template by deltagrace @ cautiontwopointoh
steal this and ill blast your ears with highly addictive jpop!
[/i][/size][/font][/center][/color]