bruises - james potter

eighty-three

"That was rude and unnecessary."  He commented as he came back from under the table, not knowing what was happening when another piece of toast hit his face.

He looked at Cassie, who was still smiling sweetly at him.

"I don't like you."

"Feelings mutual Sirius, feelings mutual."

Remus let out a small laugh as he wiped the crumbs from Sirius' cheek, not noticing the look that James and Cassie shared as he did so.

"You okay love?" James asked, placing one of his hands on top of Cassie's, his thumb instantly running over the back of her hand.

Cassie looked up at James and nodded, forcing a small smile.

"I'm okay, just a bit tired." James nodded, a hint of worry flashing though his eyes.

"Any reason why? You went to bed rather early."

Cassie couldn't help but notice the worry in James' tone, it made the corners of her mouth turn down.

"Just a few nightmares, they kept me up is all." She pressed a kiss to James' cheek, her chapped lips feeling rough against his skin.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

But James would worry, he would always worry about her, even if she didn't want him to. It wasn't as easy as her telling him not to worry and then he would just stop, easy as that, easy as a flick of a switch.

No.

James would continue worrying forever if it was about Cassie, that was just what love did to someone. Even if James knew that Cassie was safe and sound, he would still worry about her as if she weren't. As if she would drop dead the second he turned his back.

But he didn't mind, he would worry all day and all night if it meant that Cassie would be his.

His worry was a small price to pay for someone as amazing as she was.

"Any idea on how to get the nightmares to go away?" James asked, handing Cassie a piece of plain toast, knowing that she didn't like anything on it.

She shrugged, looking at the toast but not making a move to eat it. Her stomach felt uneasy and she didn't want to eat something and risk being sick, not on her first day back at school.

"Maybe you should ask Madam Pomfrey for a dreamless sleep potion?" Cassie only shook her head.

"When was the last time you had a nightmare Cass?" Remus asked, bringing the couples attention over to him.

Cassie shrugged, not entirely sure.

"My first night at the Potters?" She questioned, and James seemed to nod.

"Yeah, I mean, that was the last time I know you had one." He added, his thumb still absent-mindedly  running over the back of her hand.

She nodded, looking up at James for a moment before looking back at Remus.

"Defiantly the first night I stayed at the Potters."

"And you shared a bed with James, right?"

"Yes. . . where is this going?"

"Maybe you should talk to good-old-Dumbles about him letting you stay in our dorm?" Sirius questioned, getting on to what Remus was talking about before James and Cassie.

"Ew." She responded.

"I feel personally attacked and wounded." James spoke up, but the humour in his tone told the others that he was only joking.