Fifth Year:
"Yeah... no. Not happening." I backed away and tried to put all my weight to my right leg.
"Oh come on. Are you actually going to argue with me right now? Your knee looks terrible, and you can't even go up the stairs."
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I can go up the stairs." I shrugged my shoulders. "I just choose not to."
"Come on Wood, you can trust me." He showed me the cloak. "What could happen the worst?"
I raised my eyebrow at him. "The last time I trusted you, was four years ago, when you offered me water. And what happened after that?"
He scratched the back of his head, and tried to keep a straight face. "You had a nice conversation with Professor Longbottom."
I shared my biggest secrets!
"But this time you can trust me. Well, at least for this one time." He muttered the last bit more to himself.
I sighed and nodded. "Fine."
He gave me an excited smile and put the cloak on both of us. The fabric touched my wound twice which made me jump in pain.
We slowly started walking across the common room and, of course, nobody saw us. I was slowing us down a bit but we weren't in a big rush anyway.
We managed to get out of the common room without getting any attention and now we were walking down the corridors with sleeping portraits hanging on the walls. One of the knight even had a teddy bear he was hugging.
We turned right, and another right, and then a left, and straight.
"Hopefully we will be there today." James whispered, annoyed of our speed.
"Well, I'm sorry that you hurt my knee." I whispered back.
"You are the one who started it!" He elbowed my side with his free arm.
We walked a little more and turned right. No wonder why so many students get lost in here, I swear this castle is like a labyrinth!
We finally arrived at the door of the Hospital Wing and slowly opened the door.
Because it was past curfew, no one was around so after we closed the door, we had the whole wing to ourselves.
"Alright, I'll look at these shelves, and you look at them." Before I could even move, James stopped me.
"Are you mad? You need to sit down." He slowly pushed me towards the closest bed from my shoulders and I sat down. "Besides, I came to this hospital wing way too many times to be able to remember every single medicine in every single drawer."
I rolled my eyes and watched him open the third drawer closest to the door and take out a red bottle with cotton.
"Now this... he grabbed a chair and put it in front of me. "is going to burn like a bloody hell."
"Gee, thanks for the confort." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath when James put some of the liquid on the cotton.
Ow! Ow! Ow!
"What in the Merlin's toe nails dirt is this thing?!" I whiper yelled trying my best to stay quiet and not get caught.
"I don't know, but it does it's job." He closed the lid of the medicine and got back up.
I suddenly heard footsteps and quickly got up on my one leg while the other one was still on top of the chair. James did a quick turn and looked at me with wide eyes. I did a few hand signals and he did the same.
The steps kept coming closer and closer. It was probably Filch, doing his check ups.
I watched James quickly open a closet and take out a few black clothes inside it before throwing them on the floor.
"In here! We have enough space for... probably one but eh!" He got in and left the doors open. "What are you waiting for?!" He whisper yelled in a rush.
I could still hear Filch's steps getting really, really close now.
"I- I can't go in there! I will... find something else." I looked back at the bed and remembered there should be a invisibility cloak, but it wasn't there.
I quickly walked towards James while ignoring the pain.
"Where's the cloak dumbass?!"
"Oh sorry! It's here, take-" James was cut of by the door slowly opening next to us.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside the closet before slamming the door.
Dumbass!
"Who's there?!"
I grabbed the cloak from James before covering both of us with it.
"I know you're in here, somewhere! And when I find you..."
I closed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths as quiet as possible.
Not that I was only locked up in a closet, but now I also have a bloody cloak on top of it which makes it way much harder.
Great.
I leaned my back on the closet with my eyes shut while Filch continued on with his speech of threats. That man is creative...
"Are you here?" He whipered. "Or maybe here..."
I started filling dizzy and my eyes were getting really tired. It is a really small space and it's not even enough for breathing.
I felt James nudging my arm so I weakly opened my eyes again. He did thumbsup with his hand but I just nodded reft and right saying no.
Filch opened the closet wide open and looked inside, and even smelt it.
Good thing that his bloody cat died three years ago.
That didn't sound so nice- but I can't really think right now so whatever.
I took a small but deep breath to take the fresh air in but he quickly closed the door again, and I swear I heard it lock.
Huh, I never thought I would die like this...
"You can run but you can't hide, you little brat!"
The hospital door closed shut and I let out a deep breath.
"What do we do? I don't have my bloody wand with me?" I asked, forgetting to whisper.
"I don't know, let me think for a second."
I grabbed the cloak covering us and let it fall on our feet. "We don't have a second James!"
I am starting to panic for real this time.
"Okay, calm down. It's just a lock, we will open it."
"Don't tell me to calm down. This-" I got really close to James and pointed my finger at his face. "This is not something we can just calm down to. I can't even breathe! And I can't see either! How am I suppose to do anything while panicking, not seeing anything, or not breathing?!" I held my head with my hands and took a deep breath.
"It's just a closet, it won't kill you." James chuckled, of course, not taking anything seriously.
"It's not funny, Potter!" I pushed the door but it didn't work. "Can't you just take anything seriously?!" A tear fell from my eye and I actually felt happy that it was so dark for him to see it.
"Incase you don't know the feeling, let me explain. You did this to me before, Potter, and you might think it was funny, but it wasn't. It was cold and hot at the same time, it was dark, and so, so small. I told you I didn't like small spaces but you did it and took all of this thing to another level!"
I couldn't see his face but I was able to hear him. "Are you... having a panic attack?"
I didn't answer and just closed my eyes. Breathing this fast made me really dizzy and sick. "I can't even breathe in here!" I took deep breaths and exhaled shortly.
"Okay, I-" He stopped. The door suddenly opened and we fell on the ground. I took deep breathes and wiped my face with my shirt before he could see me. I counted to twenty but my breathing wasn't back to normal and I still felt dizzy.
"What do I do?" James asked.
"Nothing, you can go, I'll be fine." I slowly got up and started counting again. My hands were shaking and I closed my eyes.
I should be proud of myself. Normally I would probably start crying and freaking out way worse.
Probably because James is here and I don't want to do that next to him.
"But that's what you told me to do last time."
5
6
"I'm so gonna get mocked for this." He sighed and I opened my eyes. He was just standing in front of me.
8
9
10
He made me sit up. "Are you still having a panic attack?"
What kind of question is that? Do I look like I'm having my best time. Yes, idiot, I am still having a panic attack.
"No." I wasn't able to concentrate in one place so I looked around the room.
"Okay." And he hugged me.
As in like... an actual hug.
His arms were wrapped around my lower back and he was leaning down and I realized he was actually taller than me.
We never got this close to each other so I never realized the height difference. Well, except that one or two times we... accidently.... on purpose... I don't even know, kissed.
At first I just stood there with my unsteady. Without doing anything. And then I let my head fall on his shoulder just between his shoulder and neck.
This is sooo weird.
Hugging him is not like how I imagined, because -as you can guess- I never imagined hugging him.
He smelt nice and his sweatshirt was super soft.
We just stood there with him hugging me, and me just resting my head and kind of... not hugging back.
He pulled away and looked at me. "I read once that-"
"You can read?" I cut him off, not missing the chance.
He simply rolled his eyes. "Comforting someone or holding breaths can... stop a panic attack. And I thought that if I tried to close your nose, you would probably break my arm, so..."
"Good choice." I nodded.
Am I suppose to say thank you? Help. I never thanked him before and I don't feel like ruining that now.
"And, uhm... I won't throw fart bombs at you tomorrow."
That... was okay. I guess. At least better than nothing.
He gave me a small smile that didn't look real at all, it was fake. "You're welcome."
The way back to common room was quiet, neither of us talked our said anything.
When we entered the common room, no one was there anymore. We took off the invisibility cloak and walked towards the stairs.
My knee was still in pain and hurting but it wasn't that bad anymore. And it wasn't bleeding either.
We stopped in front of the stairs and I didn't turn around to say a romantic, nice, good night and 'I had a great time today' bullshit.
I just took one step up the stairs and sighed in annoyence.
James was just about to take his second step when I tapped his shoulder and turned around.
"I must say you did a help a lot today. Well... thanks, mate."
I gave him a small kiss on the cheek and turned around to go upstairs.
That... was a disaster.
'Thanks mate' what is the matter with me?