CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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-: seventh year :-
── IN WHICH SHE SLEEPS
. . .
Tiger sat cross legged on top of the scarlett duvets of James's bed, wearing one of his old dress-shirts. It reached mid-thigh, but crept upwards as she shifted, pulling her legs closer to her chest.
Other than her, the dorm was empty. James had slipped into the bathroom to shower and change, and she was sure that he had convinced Remus, Sirius and Peter to remain downstairs for the time being.
Until she fell asleep or something, she couldn't hear exactly what James had said to them. Just before going to shower, he had returned to the common room to speak to the three of them.
And over the murmur of voices of people still awake, Tiger couldn't quite catch exactly what he had said. But she heard the words quiet, sleep and calm on multiple occasions.
Her hair, returned to the dark shade of brown with the faded purple tint long gone, hung limply against her back. The patch of striped material where it was was damp, her hair not fully dry after her own shower.
Moonlight shone through the georgian windows, the strips of material within the pane breaking the light up, but eventually, in it's own, stilted motion, it reached Tiger, paling the skin of her bare legs.
So much had changed, since last year. The very same day, just a year a go, was so, so different. A year ago, Tiger would've been sat with Lily, Marlene and Lily, discussing nicknames and the different items that she had knitted.
And now she was hiding from them, seeing things in the pale, cold blue of the moon, and not the warm orange glow of the lanterns or fire.
Without even knowing it, Tiger had stood up, walking slowly over to the window, bare feet cold against the stone - but she didn't notice it at all. Standing up on her tiptoes and using the wall to balance, Tiger reached for the latch, twisting it and pushing the window open.
She would sit on the bathroom windowsill later, for now, the window between Remus and Sirius's beds would have to do. Sitting down on the stone, Tiger curled up into a ball, her arms holding her legs tight to her stomach.
For a few minutes, she stared out of the small opening she had managed to make. It seemed that the four boys who lived in the room hadn't opened the windows in a while, as it was quite the effort for Tiger to be able to push it open.
Wanting to see a little more than just a sliver of the expanse of countryside that surrounding the Hogwarts' castle, Tiger unlatched a hand from the tangle of limbs she created and pushed it open a bit more.
A rush of night air hit Tiger in the face. A pleasant feeling, bringing a feeling of reality to the Howell girl. Her gaze remained on the starry sky above them, as she heard the shower turn off, and a few minutes later, James appeared.
"Aren't you a bit cold?" He asked, looking at her bare legs and the thin shirt she wore. Using a towel to dry his hair, he walked over to her, looking down.
"You're harbouring a fugitive." Tiger replied, a hint of something in her eyes. James stood back slightly as the girl stood up, reaching to pull the window closed with a slam. "Isn't it a little late for those types of questions."
"I wouldn't call you a fugitive." James hummed, tossing his towel over to where the laundry basket sat, collapsing down on his bed. Tiger rolled her eyes, picking up the towel and putting it into the basket, sitting down beside James and letting him fuss over her a little bit, making sure she was properly tucked into it.
"No? What would you call it then? I'm in trouble, and you're hiding me away in your bedroom." Tiger looked up at him, their gaze meeting. "You've done it before as well. At Christmas, just then after me and Leo talked."
"You're someone in trouble, and so I helped you." James shrugged, and the tiniest of smiles grew on Tiger's face. "You're not in trouble, you're hurting. And you could do without having to face others."
"Is that why you asked the others not to come up yet?" She asked, and James chuckled.
"I knew you'd heard that. And yes, I think you need a good night's sleep, and you won't be able to get to sleep without them in here." James said, watching as the girl laid down.
"Promise me you'll stay?" She said suddenly, after a silence had played and James assumed she had fallen asleepp.
"Promise." He said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. And so he did.
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