I Fancy You: James Sirius Potter

45. Trance

My first class today is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Alli and I walk downstairs together to find Daniel waiting for us. He sees the bags under my eyes and gives Alli a look.
"I'm fine. Okay?" I walk away without them. I don't even want to deal with anyone today. Daniel and Alli walk quietly behind me before we meet up with the Gryffindor guys.
"You look horrible," James says to me.
"Gee thanks. How many girls do you get with that line?" I glare at him.
"Just an observation. Did you have more dreams last night?"
"I'm fine. Just leave me alone." I leave all of them behind and walk into class. When I sit at my table Daniel quietly takes a seat next to me. He looks nervous to even be next to me. "I had a snake in my bed last night," I tell him. "After another dream I woke up to a snake in my bed. I was awake every few minutes after that. I'm sorry for being mean."
"A real snake?" He lifts an eyebrow.
"Yeah." I lay my head on the desk. "Maybe they'll deprive me of sleep and that's how they'll kill me," I say quietly.
"You're sleeping in my bed tonight. If that's alright with you of course."
"Yeah, that sounds good." I close my eyes for a moment before class starts with Daniel's hand on my knee.

My next two classes are charms and care of magical creatures and now I'm off to Potions. Daniel gives me a full on make out session outside of the classroom before I have to go in.
"Who needs air when you have another person's tongue to shove in your mouth?" James says behind us.
Daniel looks back at him with an annoyed look. "Go grab your seat, Potter. Your partner will be right in."
"Yes sir," James says in a sarcastic tone then walks into the classroom.
"I guess I should get in there," I tell him. He pushes me back up against the wall for one last kiss then waved goodbye on his way to the common room. My heart does a flip then I get in my seat next to James after nudging a girl who's flirting with him out of my way.
"You can't have both of them," she says with a dirty look on her face.
"Why shouldn't I?" I say while digging through my bag. James gives me a surprised smirk then the girl walks off in a huff.
"You hate me at the beginning of the day and suddenly you're so protective of me?" James leans down to get eye to eye with me.
I stop looking through my bag and look over at him with a grin. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. You have to admit though that telling me I look horrible isn't exactly a warm hello."
"Okay I'm sorry for saying that. Especially because you never look horrible." He gives me a wink then smiles as I roll my eyes.
"What's with you and Daniel being so close suddenly?"
"We have a common interest of keeping you safe."
"You have a common interest of getting me in bed, too. Unless of course you've changed your mind about me."
"Oh no. That's always going to be an interest for me." I never realized how flirty James could be. He's almost as good as Daniel but not quite. I avert my gaze from his wandering eyes and sit up straight once class starts. I feel James's eyes still on me so without looking at him I push his face forward and feel a big smile cross his face.

It's been a brutal first day of classes. I'm sitting in Daniel's bed proof reading Mateo's potions homework while Daniel takes a shower.
"Oh you wrote wrote a wrong ingredient for polyjuice potion. Other than that, it looks great." I hand it back to him and smile when he gives me big sad eyes for the right answer. "Don't give me that look you'll never learn if I give you every answer. Look through the text book."
He sighs and opens his book as Daniel comes back to the room with his sweats and a tight t shirt on. "You want this shirt? I think I've grown out of it," he says while struggling to take it off. I laugh then get up and help him.
"You work out too much. You have the body of a god and you're only sixteen."
"I do not! Don't embarrass me," he says blushing.
"Lacewing flies!" Mateo yells before correcting his homework. I smile and hop into bed wearing Daniel's shirt.
I give him a quick kiss then turn over to get some sleep.

The next few days go pretty much the same. I continue sleeping in Daniel's bed and not having any visions or dreams or whatever they are. James continues to flirt with me in Potions. Daniel continues to guard me. Nothing out of the ordinary happens until a few weeks into the school year when I'm walking back to the common room from Astronomy. James and Daniel are behind me talking about quidditch when I see a white snake slithering quickly in the grass towards the forest. Before anyone can stop me I run after it.
"Hey!" I hear both James and Daniel yell and start running after me. I'm not as quick as them so they catch up fast, Daniel tackling me to the ground.
"Get off!" I yell at him.
"Not if you're just gonna run to the forest!"
"Daniel you're hurting me!" I say and he immediately jumps off of me with concern in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"No I'm sorry," I say before pushing him down and running for the forest again. This time James grabs me around my torso. "James let go!"
"No!"
"Stop it!"
"Ellie stop!" Daniel says in a hurt voice. His voice snaps me out of it and I stop fighting back. I look up at him and see his sad eyes. "Please stop," he says almost in a broken tone.
James let's me go and I straighten my robes out. I feel nothing but shame looking at Daniel's sad face. I used his feelings for me against him.
"I'm so sorry," I say.
"It's fine. Let's just get away from here," Daniel says turning back towards the castle. I grip one of my arms tightly and look up at James. He looks down at me with concern.
That night I don't go to Daniel's room. I'm sitting in bed with my knees to my chest when Alli comes in.
"James told me what happened. Are you alright?" She sits on the foot of my bed.
"I hate myself right now. I think I really hurt Daniel. He's just trying to protect me and I was awful." I hide my face in my hands.
"He'll forgive you."
"I've now put you in danger and I've hurt Daniel. I don't know what's wrong with me." Alli brings me into a hug and kisses my head before heading to bed.
The voice comes with sleep.
That boy is a martyr. He's looking to play at your heart to stop you from fulfilling your destiny by facing me.
Leave me alone. Leave him alone. Go away.
Somehow I shut the voice out. I finally sleep without the threats in my bed in my dorm.