【 CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX 】
━━ I'M NOT LEAVING HER ━━
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LAUREL RETURNED TO HOGWARTS the next day after the trial, not quite ready for the onslaught of questions by both people she knew and people she didn't even know existed. Are you really his girlfriend? Did his father endorse you? You were bribed, weren't you? How much did they pay? How on earth did Granger pull all those witnesses and evidence from her arse in a matter of seconds? The blonde was also not expecting the bullying she would get from Mara's friends. How that girl still had friends was beyond Laurel.
⠀⠀Her dad was angry with her for a little bit for ditching school, but once he had heard the news (where James was cleared of all charges, not the other part) and that McGonagall had consented, he seemed a little proud of her. But, she wasn't allowed to leave the castle grounds for the rest of the school year, which meant no Hogsmeade. Fortunately, neither Luna or Rolf paid attention to the news, so they didn't know what really went down in the courtroom. Laurel would tell them eventually. Lorcan and Lysander had their suspicions. Perhaps she'd confirm it at a later date.
⠀⠀As much as there was so much being thrown at her, Laurel couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of peace rush over her. Nothing could really bother her. She was still processing the fact that she didn't have just her own heart to take care of anymore, and that her heart was now in the hands of none other than James Sirius Potter. It had been a whimsical twenty-four hours and she wished so much to just sit down and process it.
⠀⠀When she told Dom and Callen about what had happened in the Potter house the day before, they were ecstatic for her. Callen squealed for joy and Dom clapped her hands, calling for a celebration with her hidden stash of Firewhiskey under the floorboard under her bed. That was reserved for special occasions only. And perhaps this was a special occasion.
⠀⠀James wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts until the next day. Laurel missed him but knowing that he would be back soon enough consoled her. Whatever this world was to throw at them, they would handle together, hand in hand.
⠀⠀Laurel spent the next day going through her classes, answering the pondering questions of her classmates. She wished they would just relay the answers to each other since they were all asking the same questions. It was rather irritating.
⠀⠀She sat down in Herbology, Professor Longbottom flashing her a smile. Everyone in her class seemed to stop their conversations as they saw her walking in, perhaps surprised that she was now James Potter's girlfriend. Oh, she did not like it. She liked her quiet life before, existing in her own world. The blonde tried to ignore the stares and whispers, staring at her seat at the front of the classroom. Why did she have to choose a seat so far from the door?
⠀⠀"Are you sods done gawking?" she heard a familiar voice next to her say to them, letting out a sigh of relief. Laurel turned around and found Asher, who took the empty seat next to her. "Professor Longbottom is waiting for you all so he can start class."
⠀⠀They all scurried to their seats, Laurel whispering a thank you to her friend. Asher humbly waved it off, opening his notebook and textbook. He passed her his notes, which she quickly duplicated with a quiet flick of her wand and she thanked him yet again.
⠀⠀"I missed my Herbology partner yesterday," Asher whispered as Professor Longbottom began his lesson, grinning. "I'm glad you're back, Laury." Laurel just smiled at him.
⠀⠀As Professor Longbottom talked, Laurel's mind drifted off, her attention moving to the window next to her. It was a dull kind of day, where the clouds threatened spring rain. Her eyes drifted to the castle grounds, the figures outside catching her attention. There were three witches out there, who looked vaguely familiar. She almost immediately recognized the very tall one, dressed in emerald green robes...McGonagall. There was a shorter witch with curly black tresses, wearing dark red robes and another woman behind her, who was about the same height as the witch in red robes, wearing purple robes. As she continued focusing, she slowly came to realize why they looked familiar. Her hands fisted into balls. What the fuck was Mara Zox doing on Hogwarts grounds?
⠀⠀"Is that Mara Zox?" a student in the classroom interrupted Professor Longbottom's lecture, breaking Laurel's concentration. "Isn't she banned from the school grounds?"
⠀⠀"I doubt it's her," Professor Longbottom stated, trying to get everyone's attention as they all started crowding against the windows.
⠀⠀"Oh my Merlin, it's her!" another student shouted.
⠀⠀"What in bloody hell is she doing here?"
⠀⠀"Scamander, I think she's after you and your man," another one joked.
⠀⠀"Shut up, Miller," Asher snapped. But he leaned over Laurel to get a look, cursing under his breath. They caught each other's eyes, both pairs filled with confusion.
⠀⠀"If you all don't get back into your seats, I am going to fail you all on your next exam!" Professor Longbottom threatened, waving his wand so that the blinds to the windows fell shut. Everyone except Laurel groaned and headed back to their seats, clearly bored out of their minds. Laurel was still looking at the now-closed windows.
⠀⠀"You all should care more about your grades and should not be all up in other people's business," Professor Longbottom scolded softly. "I don't care whether it's Mara Zox or Harry Potter or if Albus Dumbledore resurrects, I am finishing this very important lesson on knotgrass that is vital for your N.E.W.T.s." He paused, as if scolding his favorite class was taking a lot out of him. It probably was. Then he continued. "If I hear anyone speaking of Mara Zox for the rest of this class I am failing everyone, is that understood?"
⠀⠀Everyone nodded, muttering a "yes, sir" along with it. Laurel just didn't say a word, catching Professor Longbottom's eyes. He just nodded at her and continued with his lesson. Her mind drifted again. Why was Mara there?
⠀⠀For the rest of the day, Laurel had at least one friend with her in every class and the hallways, her wand in her sleeve at any given moment. Though part of her doubted anything was going to happen and that Mara was just getting her things, Laurel was still a little bit shaken up by Mara's sudden appearance.
⠀⠀She was studying in the library with Callen and Evan when Asher came running in (and he was scolded by Madam Pince for making a scene in the library), breathless as he slammed his hands down on their table. They all looked at him in bewilderment, and though this was not abnormal behavior for Asher, he never really disturbed them as they studied. Callen grumbled that he had messed up her handwriting.
⠀⠀"You okay, mate?" Evan asked, watching as his friend caught his breath.
⠀⠀"Stop studying," Asher said as quietly as possible so other people couldn't hear. "James just came back."
⠀⠀A rush went through Laurel as she heard Asher's words. James. All three that were seated quickly shot up from their seats, their chairs scraping loudly on the hardwood floor, packed up all their belongings and headed out as quickly as possible, following Asher.
⠀⠀"Does he know that Mara is still here?" Laurel asked as they weaved through the thick crowds of students towards Gryffindor Tower.
⠀⠀"Yeah, Dom told him," Asher replied. "He's going to stick it out in our quarters until she leaves."
⠀⠀"I can't believe she's still here," Callen said, contempt dripping from her tone. Callen hardly ever hated anyone. "She's been here since ten in the morning. It's currently 3 PM. Who even wants to say goodbye to her?"
⠀⠀"People just like her, babe," Evan said as they rounded the corner into the corridor where the Fat Lady's portrait resided. They approached the portrait, quickly uttering the password, heading into Gryffindor Tower. The common room came into view, relatively quiet with the sun shining into the room through the windows.
⠀⠀Laurel assumed James was in the boys' dormitory as Asher continued to walk through the common room towards their stairs. They walked up until they reached the boys' respective dormitory, pushing the door open in anticipation.
⠀⠀And there he was, in his bed, his glasses crooked on his nose and his black hair wild as ever. Dominique sat near him, her flaming red hair tied up, her smile just as fiery as her hair. Laurel couldn't help her heart as it skipped a beat as soon as she saw James. They locked eyes and suddenly Laurel was engulfed in his brown ones, the room melting away as he got up and headed straight towards her, much to their friends' dismay. James was well aware that all their friends were watching, but he couldn't care less. Laurel Laurel Laurel Laurel. He grabbed her beautiful face and kissed her full on the mouth with a passion that Laurel had missed.
⠀⠀"Someone missed me," Laurel said with a coy smile on her face as they pulled apart. She was still not used to this.
⠀⠀"Of course I missed you, love," he replied, smiling at her, his eyes still dragging across her face, his thumb lingering on her cheek. It was like he was, again, taking in every inch of her. To him, her beauty rendered him speechless. She was devastating, she was radiant.
⠀⠀"Soooooooo you're ignoring the rest of us now because you got a girlfriend," Asher asked, pretending to be hurt. Evan pouted along with him.
⠀⠀James turned around but reached for her hand as he grinned at his best friend. "C'mere, you jealous wankers." He squeezed her hand twice before letting go to throw himself onto Asher and Evan, knocking them onto one of the beds.
⠀⠀Laurel joined Dominique and Callen on the bed opposite to the one the boys were occupying, watching them wrestle each other. "Do you think this is how it normally is in the sixth year Gryffindor boys' dormitory?" Dominique asked, voicing what all three of them were thinking. Callen and Laurel just shrugged, watching the boys.
⠀⠀When the boys finally broke apart from each other, the four of them all began hounding Laurel and James for springing this relationship up on them out of nowhere. They both ended up retreating to the carpeted floor between the two beds, trying to shelter themselves from their friends.
⠀⠀"But you all knew this was coming!" James exclaimed. He was smiling so hard. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time.
⠀⠀"Yeah, but probably not this fast!" Dom countered. Then she paused before speaking again. "Well actually, we all were waiting for it to happen considering how slow you both are sometimes, but I think we're all just shocked because it came out of nowhere."
⠀⠀"We are very happy for you both though," Callen said, smiling. "You have our blessing."
⠀⠀"Thanks?" James asked, laughing. "When did I not?"
⠀⠀"Shush or you'll lose our blessing really quickly, boy," Dominique said, reaching over to mess up James' hair more than it already was.
⠀⠀"Merlin! Okay!" James exclaimed, flinging his cousin's hand off his hair. They all laughed, calming down, relishing in the comfortable silence that rested in the spaces between them.
⠀⠀"I wish we could just...stay like this forever," Asher said, his voice reminiscent as he played with the little blue wisps he had conjured up with his wand. "You know like...forget our grades, school, our future careers, the world...it'd just be us."
⠀⠀"That would be nice, Floo Powder," James almost whispered, sighing a little. "That would be really nice."
⠀⠀"Except if it was just us, I'd go crazy," Dominique snarked.
⠀⠀"Shut up, Dom," Evan said, chucking a pillow at her, at which she threw back and missed him. "Way to ruin the mood."
⠀⠀"I know what'll help. Do you guys have some Firewhiskey hidden here?" Dominique asked. "Please tell me you do."
⠀⠀"Yeah, we do," James said, slapping the carpeted floor he and Laurel were sitting on. He motioned for Laurel to stand up and started stomping on the floor with his foot until it gave way to an opening of which two bottles of Firewhiskey sat. He reached down and grabbed a bottle before shutting the floorboard again. As Laurel and he sat down, it looked like it had never been opened.
⠀⠀"Yes! Perfect," Dominique said. She took the bottle from James' hand and looked around the room for something. She seemed to have found it because she paused, pulled out her wand and said, "Accio glass cups!" Six glass cups from the corner of the room flew towards them and they all reached to catch the cups before they could hit someone.
⠀⠀With that, Dominique filled everyone's glasses and before they drank, Evan exclaimed: "To putting Mara the Murderer's arse in Azkaban!"
⠀⠀They all chuckled and said the same thing, clinking their cups together and drinking. They continued to talk, as friends would, continuing to drink, letting the time pass. James had gone silent, not from drinking too many glasses of Firewhiskey, but from exhaustion, resting his head on Laurel's shoulder, laughing lightly at Evan and Asher try to dance together to the song Callen and Dominique were singing horribly. Laurel didn't know why he was exhausted, but she reached over to grab his hand, giving it a squeeze.
⠀⠀"Hey, Rels," he whispered in her ear, causing her to smile, "do you want to go somewhere quieter?"
⠀⠀"Where do you suggest?" Laurel asked, her voice quiet and suggestive.
⠀⠀"The Forbidden Forest sounds appealing," James replied, winking at her. "Maybe we'll see that little cottage we fell into awhile back."
⠀⠀She hummed a little. "And if we don't?"
⠀⠀James chuckled. "I'm sure we'll find somewhere to go in this massive castle."
⠀⠀So they got up and left their semi-drunk friends as quietly as possible, rushing out of the Gryffindor Tower into the quiet and empty corridors, hand in hand. They couldn't even make it to the castle grounds without being all over each other in the dark corner of a relatively quiet corridor. James had Laurel pushed up against a wall, capturing her soft lips with his, digging his fingers in her loose blonde hair, his other hand at her waist, pulling her as close as possible. The kiss started gentle, getting heavier and heavier as they continued, her hands pulling his face closer.
⠀⠀Suddenly, McGonagall's voice was heard over the entire castle, catching them off guard. "Good day, students. I would ask that immediately following this announcement that everyone remains, if not returns to their dormitories and stay there until noted otherwise. Dinner will be sent to your dormitories. The castle is under a search for a criminal. Please remain calm. Thank you."
⠀⠀"A criminal?" James asked, confused, remaining close to Laurel, his hands holding her waist. "Did she lose her cat again?"
⠀⠀Laurel let out a chuckle, but the humor ceased as she realized who McGonagall was referring to. Laurel had forgotten completely that Mara had been in the castle earlier. It had been hours since...how could she still be in Hogwarts for that long?
⠀⠀"James," Laurel said, reaching for his hands, but they wouldn't budge, "I really think we should head back to Gryffindor Tower."
⠀⠀James chuckled, leaning in to kiss her. "Always following the rules, huh?"
⠀⠀"James, I'm not kidding," Laurel insisted, pulling back. "We were going to tell you earlier but—"
⠀⠀"Well, well, well," a familiarly sinister female voice drawled, interrupting Laurel before she could finish her thought. "If it isn't the two lovebirds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Speak of the devil, Laurel thought as she and James both froze in recognition of the voice.
⠀⠀Laurel could feel James tense, his grip on her waist tightening ever so slightly, his breath hitching. Neither were looking at Mara, who Laurel could see in the corner of her eye was only around ten feet away from them. There was still time to escape. She could pull James away, stun Mara and run away, leaving her for the Aurors and McGonagall to find.
⠀⠀But James wouldn't move. The anger was rising in his brown eyes as he began to turn to Mara. Laurel reached for his hand, trying to pull him away.
⠀⠀"What the hell are you doing here, Mara?" James snarled, his voice shaking with anger he was trying to control, his wand slipping from his robe sleeve into his hand. For a moment, Laurel was rightly terrified. Mara, however, was not.
⠀⠀"James, come on," Laurel begged, tugging his hand, looking at Mara who was smirking at James. "She's not worth it. Let's just Petrify her and leave her to the authorities."
⠀⠀"I don't think he'll listen to you, dear Laury," Mara taunted. "He thinks a sentence to Azkaban isn't enough."
⠀⠀"Get back," James said quietly, pushing her behind him as he pulled his arm out of her grasp.
⠀⠀Laurel looked from Mara to James in her wide-eyed realization. "You can't do that, James. I'm telling you, she isn't worth it!"
⠀⠀"Just kill me, Jamesy-kins," Mara continued, a glint of smugness in her eyes, sauntering closer. "You'll be doing me and yourself a favor."
⠀⠀"Get...the fuck...out...of...MY HEAD!" James bellowed. At the same time, the statue next to James crashed into pieces next to them, without him raising his wand.
⠀⠀Mara jumped a little, whipping out her wand, throwing it on the ground in front of her. How did she get her wand? "I will be out of your head as soon as you end me."
⠀⠀James didn't respond, as if he was trying to figure out what he was going to do. Laurel had a solid plan. Just petrify her and be done with it and the Aurors and McGonagall would just find her. By the time he had any decision, she was inches away. Laurel was too shocked to do anything.
⠀⠀Mara grabbed his hand that held his wand, forcing the tip of it on her neck. "Kill me, James. Give me that much mercy."
⠀⠀James just stared into Mara's eyes. There was nothing there but a void of darkness. He didn't understand how he could've been in love with her before. How he had let this empty vessel break his heart into a million pieces.
⠀⠀"DO IT!" Mara screamed, her relaxed and smug demeanor gone. "You owe me this."
⠀⠀"I'm not going to kill you, Mara," James snapped, pushing her off, but his wand still pointed at her. "You don't deserve a painless death and I don't deserve to go to jail for killing you. What you deserve is the equivalent of years of suffering in Azkaban that you have caused me in only weeks. How fucking dare you?! I don't owe you a bloody thing!"
⠀⠀Mara crumpled to the ground in defeat. Laurel felt her heart lift a little bit, the pit in her stomach that her heart had fallen into closed. She approached James, her hands shaking as she went to hold his arm that was not outstretched towards Mara. She pulled out her wand. If he couldn't do it, she would do it for him in a heartbeat.
⠀⠀"I can do this," James as if reading Laurel's thoughts, his attention still fixated on Mara, who looked at James with pleading eyes. Laurel had never seen someone look like they wanted death as much as the girl on the floor in front of them.
⠀⠀"You have a very fucked up definition of mercy," James said, his pointed wand steady in Mara's direction. "It's a shame you'd have to learn the proper one in Azkaban."
⠀⠀James paused before taking a breath and yelling the spell: "Petrificus Totalus!"
⠀⠀A jet of white light erupted from his wand, going straight towards Mara. But instead of hitting her, it hit the floor. Laurel and James watched in shock as Mara rolled over, grabbed her wand, pointing it towards them. Her smirk had returned as well as a menacing glint in her eyes. "You two really thought it would be that easy, huh? Expelliarmus!"
⠀⠀Laurel's wand flew out of her hands and she went after it as James and Mara began a duel of spells. The room around them began falling apart, pieces of the wall crashed to the ground. Just as Laurel snatched her wand off the floor, a piece of debris fell right on the spot.
⠀⠀"Stupefy!" James yelled, but Mara blocked it. Green light emitted from her wand towards James, which Laurel promptly blocked with a wave of hers, staring at Mara in horror, who now sat on the floor from being knocked back.
⠀⠀James seemed to realize what spell had appeared from Mara's wand as well. "Do you hate me that much?"
⠀⠀Mara bared her teeth and stood back up, her wand pointed and unwavering at them. "Yes." More spells ensued, and neither team was winning, much to Laurel's dismay. How long would they have to be here before they were found? And despite outnumbering Mara, the girl was holding up quite well on her own.
⠀⠀As if she had summoned them, Laurel heard loud footsteps and robed figures appear in the corner of her eye. For a second, she was not paying attention, relief flowing through her. They were here to take Mara away and this stupid duel would be over with.
⠀⠀"Flipendo!" Mara shouted. Suddenly, Laurel felt herself being thrown back with a force, hitting the wall behind her hard, her head smacking into the rough concrete, falling ten feet to the ground on the fallen debris. Number one rule of dueling, she thought as a red hot pain flooded her head and neck, never lost focus on your opponent.
⠀⠀"Laurel!" she heard James' voice. He seemed so far away. Her vision blurred as she tried to get up, looking for her wand, falling on the loose rubble beneath her feet. The pain was so great that it kept her on the floor.
⠀⠀"Brachiabindo!" she heard a booming female voice. One of the Aurors perhaps. Mara yelled in the distance as she was tied with invisible cords, falling to the floor. Many dark figures Laurel understood as Aurors surrounded the screaming Mara. There were shouts and many more footsteps, but they echoed in her ears. There was a loud ringing in her ears, muffling all the sounds that she heard. Laurel felt something hot and wet on her neck, reaching for it, holding up her fingers to the out-of-focus vision. Blood. Why was she bleeding? Was she dying?
⠀⠀Laurel called out for him. "James...? James..."
⠀⠀Someone rushed to her side quickly and in her hazy vision, she could make out his face. "I'm here," he said, he grabbed her hand, cradling her head. The face that had seized her dreams and dominated her art for so long. Glasses, bright brown eyes, the sharp nose, his unkempt hair...James...clean laundry, butterbeer, and freshly cut grass... She smiled.
⠀⠀"You found me, Pudding Boy," Laurel breathed, holding his warm hand tightly.
⠀⠀"Of course, Rels—oh my Merlin—Fuck, Rels, I'm so sorry...you're going to be okay, just—just stay with me, okay?" he was rambling, fumbling with his wand. "We're going to get you to Madam Pomfrey and everything's going to be okay." James didn't know what to do about Laurel's bright red blood that was in his hands. She wasn't supposed to be hurt. Well, he knew what spell to use, but he couldn't. He was just frozen. Her halo of blonde hair was soaked in her blood. So much blood...there was so much...Ferula. That's the spell, James. It's not that hard. Ferula.
⠀⠀"Did they get her?" Laurel asked.
⠀⠀"Yes, Rels, they did," James breathed. He was shaking badly. Why couldn't he just say the spell? "She won't bother us anymore."
⠀⠀"Good." Laurel smiled, reaching up to touch his face. James didn't respond, smiling back at her.
⠀⠀"Am I dying, James?" Laurel asked, her vision going in and out. It was flickering like a dying light.
⠀⠀"No," James said. Tears were pricking his eyes. "You are not dying. Stay. With. Me."
⠀⠀Laurel's eyes began to close, despite James' requests. She just felt so tired. The pain was too much. Was she dying?
⠀⠀"Laurel! Wake up!" James yelled. He looked up at all the adults who were busy with the screaming Mara. Where was McGonagall? "Someone help!"
⠀⠀James then gripped his wand, pointing it towards Laurel's bleeding head. "Ferula!" Bandages appeared from thin air and wrapped around Laurel's wound, immediately soaking with her blood. It already covered so much of the floor and Laurel and James' clothes. He looked at the blonde in her arms, realizing that she had fallen unconscious.
⠀⠀"No, fuck—Rels, Rels! Fuck!" James called, gently smacking her face, trying to wake up. "Wake up!"
⠀⠀But her eyes did not open. She had to be alive. James felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up to find McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.
⠀⠀"We'll take it from here, Mister Potter," McGonagall said, calmly, conjuring up a stretcher for Laurel.
⠀⠀"I'm not leaving her," James insisted, holding Laurel closely, glaring slightly at the two staff members. He was terrified that they had been too late.
⠀⠀"You won't have to, dear," Madam Pomfrey confirmed. "You're safe. Mara's gone. Come with us to the hospital wing."
⠀⠀"You have to help her. She's lost a lot of blood," James blurted. But he gave into them, placing a bloody Laurel on the stark white stretcher. Images of his own blood on the white tile of his dormitory bathroom floor flashed across his eyes. He shook them away.
⠀⠀They rushed away to the hospital wing, James staggering along with them, grasping Laurel's increasingly cold hand tightly. He could feel life slipping from her, his heart falling into the pit of his stomach.
⠀⠀As soon as they reached the hospital wing, they placed Laurel on the bed and immediately Madam Pomfrey began to examine her. She placed more bandages on the wound, giving McGonagall a look, who had fixed James up in no time. "We have to send her to St. Mungo's, Minerva. There's a better chance of saving her there. This is too much for me."
⠀⠀"St. Mungo's?" James asked. "I'm going with her."
⠀⠀"No, you will not, Mister Potter," McGonagall ordered. "You've already done enough. You need to rest."
⠀⠀"Like I said, I'm not leaving her."
⠀⠀McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey threw each other a look. McGonagall sighed. "I know you care for Miss Scamander very much, but I have to keep you here. It is the law."
⠀⠀"I don't care about the law!" James exclaimed, standing up, banging his fist on the table next to him. "I'm going to St. Mungo's with her."
⠀⠀McGonagall's nose flared up. "You will do no such thing, Mister Potter!" she snapped. "Need I remind you that I am the Headmistress of this school and you are under my jurisdiction. You will stay here until I deem that it is necessary for you to come along with Miss Scamander. Is that understood?"
⠀⠀James glared at McGonagall, biting his tongue to keep it from shouting something that would get him expelled. So he sat back down, glancing at Laurel, fighting the urge to cry. She was looking white as ever, her former rosy pink lips paling with time. He reached for hand, giving it a squeeze.
⠀⠀He could not lose her.⠀⠀