[james] i remember you

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Juniper was having trouble sleeping. There were sharp pains in her back that wouldn't ease, no matter what positions she adopted. It was entirely likely that she got them from sitting uncomfortably for a considerable period of time at the library earlier that day. She was glad she deduced that, but that didn't make them go away. When she did manage to fall asleep, she slept with her head laying on her right arm, effectively cutting off all circulation. So when she woke, her arm was completely numb - no feeling whatsoever, just a dead weight. It happened sometimes. All she had to do was pick it up with her other arm and move it to a position in which it could regain bloodflow. Impatient tonight, however, Juniper yanked her arm in order to toss it to her other side, and it actually hit her face. Juniper lay in bed for a solid few minutes thinking about how she just hit herself in the face with her own limp arm. It hurt, too. What if she had given herself a black eye? How would she explain that to anyone?

Taking it as a sign, she got out of bed. If sleeping wasn't working, maybe a walk would do.

It was late, but not horribly, and therefore she figured she could walk about the castle with the pretense of making prefect rounds. She wasn't dressed for the part, though ... maybe instead she could say she was going to the infirmary for pain relief ... Juniper considered this all this while already walking out of the dungeons and ending up in the Entrance Hall. It was actually a perfect location because Filch's office was close. And at this time, he was probably out hunting for rule breakers and therefore, the first floor was the last place he would be.

Juniper took in the silence of the of castle that normally filled with chatter and people. She was thinking that she could honestly never get tired of this place. And somewhere else in her mind she was still marveling at the fact that she hit herself. In the face. With her own arm. If there was an award system for special behavior, she deserved the grand prize.

her mismatched pajamas

[JAMES SIRIUS POTTER]

James was being a detective.

Well, not really. Honestly, he had just been having issues sleeping, and thought it would be a good time to set up a prank. So he had hopped out of bed clad only in his boxers and an undershirt and left the common room to roam the halls, the very definition of modest.

And while looking for inspiration and peaking around corners for prefects, he had started feeling like a spy, snooping around in the dark and blending into shadows. Only he was also looking for clues to give him an idea for a prank. So he was a detective spy. James Potter, detective spy extraordinaire. He absentmindedly began humming his own theme music as he walked, breaking up his pace every so often with an awkward tumble.

"James Potter, detective spyyyy," he sang under his breath as he tiptoed down a corridor, somehow on the first floor already. "James Potter, he's a really handsome guyyyyy..."

It was then that he heard footsteps, and he paused, pressing his back flat against the wall, holding his hands up like a muggle gun he'd seen once in a show his dad watched, completely ignoring the fact that he had a wand in his pocket. He held his hands up and slowly started walking backward, doing his best to be quiet.

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Juniper thought she was hearing things at first. Actually, first Juniper thought she had sustained brain trauma from hitting herself in the head, but decided that wasn't very likely. Then she thought maybe one of the paintings was talking in its sleep. Or making noises. There was soft humming coming from somewhere because the entrance hall echoed. She listened very carefully.

James Potter, detective spyyyy

But she definitely knew that voice and that voice was saying James Potter. At least she thought it did. She took steps in its general direction.

James Potter, he's a really handsome guyyyyy...

Well, yes, he was. But more importantly, was that him singing that? It occurred to Juniper that this could possibly a dream. Her subconscious had created a scenario in which James Potter was a handsome detective spy, and he was going to sweep her away, in song, on an adventure. That wasn't likely either, though. June didn't dream very often, and none of her rare dreams were musicals.

She hurried her pace a little, trying to be quiet. Finally she peeked around corridor and that's when she saw him backing away. And her first thought was "Where did he get a gun?" And she realized he wasn't actually holding one ... just ... pretending to?

"James?" she said, mostly in disbelief. She approached him, almost squinting, unsure if this was real. But the closer she got, the more corporeal her appeared. "What are you doing wandering the corridors? Singing to yourself and ..."

She looked him up and down.

"In your boxers?"

Normally she would be more nervous to talk him, considering the awkward state of their relationship. That being nonexistence.

[JAMES SIRIUS POTTER]

James raised his hand-gun to eye level, too far lost in his charade to realize that a) he was almost threatening someone who could very likely be a professor, b) whoever came across him was likely innocent and did not deserve to be shot just for wandering the castle, and c) his hands were not actually capable of shooting bullets.

So when a girl approached and called out his name, granted sounding more confused than angry, James lowered his hands only slightly, prepared to defend himself at a moment's notice. It was only when she took a few more steps closer to him that the light from the torches hit her face, and James dropped his hands and his game completely.

"Oh," he said simply, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and shoving his hands in his pockets, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and rather exposed. "Couldn't sleep. You should be more careful — could've gotten shot..."

He was mumbling at this point, not quite looking her in the eye, and it took a few seconds before he realized that she wasn't supposed to be out of her common room either. Students were supposed to be in bed at this point, weren't they? "Why are you up and in ... bizznazz?" He tilted his head, momentarily forgetting just who he was talking to as he stared at her shirt. Why was there bread hopping in some odd metal contraption? "What the hell is a bizznazz?"

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Now that Juniper was aware of the fact that she wasn't dreaming, she was hit by the very awkward reality that she was standing, in her pajamas, tallking to her former best friend. Had she been naked, this had all the makings of a nightmare ... or possibly a different sort of dream entirely, but she mentally shook herself so that her mind wouldn't go there.

She felt silly now for approaching him - this was clearly awkward and she also let her eyes wander. Had she had pockets, she would've put her hands in them too. But she didn't - her wand was held by her waistband against her right side. She should've realized that this would've happened if they'd spoken, but when she heard him singing she wasn't thinking that far ahead.

In response to the first and only logical part of his question, Juniper was already formulating a normal, not awkward response Oh well, couldn't sleep either - wait what? Did James Potter just say bizznazz like an annoying teen? Actually the way he said it without the attitude was ever funnier. She blinked and looked him, but he was staring at her chest. Confused, she followed his eyes.

"Oh." she looked at her shirt as thought she was seeing it for the first time. "It means business. It's a sort of ... Muggle saying ... for when people are bothering you."

She looked up. "It has the same meaning as being up in yo grill." she explained with an explanatory gesture, but she froze midway because she regretted those words the moment they escaped her lips.

[JAMES SIRIUS POTTER]

James was trying to figure out just what he shirt meant — not only the words, which read like an entirely new language to him, but the picture as well — when he suddenly realized he was staring for far too long at her chest. With any other girl, the realization would have been a welcome one, and he likely would have continued on under the pretense of figuring out the highly confusing tee. However, this was Juniper, and that was enough to cause him to look away, turning his head to peer down the end of the corridor, nearly completely shrouded in shadows.

She was trying to explain it to him, and James turned his head back to face her, though stared at the spot between her eyes rather than really maintaining eye contact. He was fairly sure they hadn't had a one-on-one talk since early in their first year, and that realization didn't make things any easier. James was not good at awkward situations, and it was showing.

But wait. Being up in yo grill? James arched an eyebrow and, not sure whether or not it would be appropriate to laugh, settled with a snicker hidden in the back of his throat and a shake of his head. "Might as well be speaking German," he insisted, struggling to convince his eyes to stay focused on her face. "But, er... I guess you're on your rounds or something, so I'll let you get back to that. Good luck. Catch a lot of bad guys. Or house elves or whatever."

James was not entirely sure what prefects did, now that he thought about it. But he sent her a salute, an uneasy grin still plastered to his face, and he was just about to take a step in the opposite direction when he heard footsteps.

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Juniper had often imagined the day when she and James Potter would reestablish their long lost connection. The dialogue would've been meaningful and maybe emotional. It would've ended with them decided that they were better off never being apart. It would've been beautiful, but unfortunately this meeting was none of that.

James wouldn't meet her eyes and he snickered at her absurdity (well, at least he didn't cackle outright.) The way he was looking around before made her feel as though he was completely uninterested in her. Which hurt.

And now he was leaving, and she didn't even have the chance to make a good impression. "Thanks." she said with a nod, managing the same uneasy grin. "Those house elves can be tricky." She flinched. That was lame and prefects didn't hunt house elves. That would've made for a very cruel sport. Or catch, actually. He did say catch. Either way.

She raised her hand to try and salute back, but stopped awkwardly midway and settled for a wave, wanting to just melt into the ground and disappear forever. And then she heard the footsteps, too. Her body reacted - covering her in goosebumps - before her mind processed the information. She recognized the cadence of that walk. It was Filch. His steps were off because of his limp. "Who's down there?" he called.

Juniper looked over at James, horrified. They were still far away from any exit, and the bare corridor had nowhere to hide. Filch couldn't see them yet, but he probably heard voices. Some very Slytherin part of her said Just say you caught him out of bed. You're a prefect, after all. Certainly that was the easiest and most plausible solution. But Juniper, still staring at James, knew that she could never do that and live with herself. He still meant the world to her.

"Show yourself!"

Juniper didn't know how her mind came up with the solution. Transfiguration was always her best subject, but human transfiguration had every chance of going completely wrong. But Juniper seemed no longer in control of herself, as she grabbed her wand, pointed it at James and whispered, "Enfilnesi."

She watched, in new horror, as James disappeared in a puff of smoke, and a rather stunned cat with sleek, black hair replaced him. Without being able to appreciate her work or apologize, she scooped James up and held him tightly against her chest.

Filch was getting closer now. Juniper's heart was beating madly - she wished it didn't, because James's now feline face was smushed against it. She tried not to hyperventilate as she watched the caretaker make his way over.

And then he was close enough to make out clearly in the torchlight. Juniper gulped and tried to speak calmly. "Sorry Mr. Filch. I was doing rounds downstairs, but then my cat ran away from me and I chased him up here." Juniper tried to look completely innocent, and not look like someone who had turned Harry Potter's first born son into a cat.

ooc- Emily, you can write for Filch, as I suspect James has little to say

[JAMES SIRIUS POTTER]

One minute James was normal — or well, as normal as he could get. He had ears planted firmly on the sides of his head, lips, fingers, only two feet ... the correct amount of every limb and organ, all in the correct places. He was a human, although he didn't always seem it. One look and you could tell.

And then the next, he was not. He felt himself shrinking, an almost falling sensation (which, thinking about it now, would have been impossible — he was a cat, after all, and they had some type of superpower that prevented that from happening. Something he wished he could retain, given his natural affinity for running head-first into objects, normally hard or pointy ones). His body lurched forward, and he landed hard on his palms, but the experience didn't shoot pain through his forearms like it normally would. Pinpricks began shooting all across his body as fur burst through his skin, and he closed his eyes as his vision started to shift, making the corridor spin around him.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds, but it was a very uncomfortable few seconds.

James glanced up at Juniper, tilting his head slightly, unsure of what was going on until she picked him up and an angry (yet strangely pleased, considering he had caught a student out of bed — his one true passion in life) Filch limped over. And suddenly, his face was pressed against her chest, a situation he would have enjoyed immensely had they been on better terms (and had he, you know, had hands).

So he was a cat, apparently. James mentally went through every body part he had, stiffening his limbs and twitching his ears, amused by the new sensations. Of course, he had an inclination toward dogs — and quite frankly, distrusted anyone who felt the opposite — and had held a grudge against cats ever since his neighbor's attacked him for trying to pick it up by the tail when he was five. Bloody animals. But now, being one, he couldn't complain. Plus, he could lick himself in public and not be reprimanded, something he only just now realized he appreciated.

Filch glared at her, having been opening his mouth to drag her off to the Headmistress's office, before looking down at her arms. James turned his head to face the caretaker, pulling his best lovable cat face, tilting his head slightly and opening his eyes as wide as possible. Considering his attachment to Mrs. Norris, James knew Filch had an unnatural obsession with cats, and it was the one hope they had of getting away unscathed.

So Filch nodded, confused by the conflict of emotions, ordered her to continue her rounds, and limped off, mumbling to himself about how much he hates students and leaving James and Juniper alone once more.

Once the caretaker had rounded the corner, James struggled in her arms, frowning as much as a cat could frown. This whole encounter was as strange as it could get, and he wondered just how talented she was at Transfiguration. Getting him to be a cat could have been a fluke, a bit of luck under rushed circumstances. Getting him back to human could be painful. Very painful.

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Juniper was freaking out the entire time. Filch's face was furious at first, but then suddenly softened a little. June looked down. No wonder - James made an adorable cat. The fact that he snapped out of his shock in order to help her charade made overcome with gratitude. Bless your soul, Juniper thought, although she was not at all religious.

Lo and behold, Filch actually let her go mumbling as he went - Juniper didn't care much to actually listen to what he was saying, as she was currently so relieved she actually felt nauseous (how was this possible?) She was so overcome with disbelief at the turn of events that she absentmindedly held onto James for far too long, too tightly. His struggling snapped her out of her reverie. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she whispered, bending down to place him onto the ground. She knew cats landed on their feet and all (because she did have a cat), but she felt that after turning James into an animal, it would've been rude to just drop him.

She sat on the ground, as to be closer to James's eye level. "Really, really sorry about that." she said, closing her eyes, as though wincing in pain. This whole situation was unbelievable. What an impression to make on her old friend. "Right." she muttered, shaking herself out of all her negative thoughts and feelings. Time to concentrate on making things better. "I'll turn you back now," she told him, raising her wand.

But was suddenly at a loss. She stared at James. She stared at the walls. Even the ceiling. "Shit!" she hissed. "I forgot the counterspell." she said, facing James again with wide, horror-stricken eyes. She was talking so much and thinking aloud because James couldn't ask her questions. So, she talked so that he would not be left in want of information.

She stood up very quickly. "I just have to get my textbook. I'll be right back" she said aloud, again for James's benefit. Summoning the book was too dangerous, in case anyone was around to witness a flying book and follow it to its rule-breaking owner. After a couple steps towards the Slytherin common room, though, Juniper turned right back. There was too much risk in just leaving James. "Maybe you should come with me." she offered, wringing her hands. James Potter in the Slytherin common room? That seemed like a bad combination, but there seemed to be no alternative.

[JAMES SIRIUS POTTER]

When Juniper bent down to address him after setting him free, James stared back at her, unblinking. There was something endearing about the way she talked to him at eye level, despite him currently being a good deal smaller. She apologized a couple of times, sounding panicked and almost desperate. For what, exactly, James wasn't sure, but he felt a pang of nostalgia at that point, drowning out any feelings of anger he might have had about having been turned into a cat. For a brief moment, his mind ventured back to his childhood, when they would spend nearly every afternoon together, laughing and playing pretend as only children can. As she stood back up, wand raised to return him to normal, he even allowed himself to wonder why their friendship, once so strong, had been allowed to fizzle out.

And then she had forgotten the counter-curse and was offering to take him to the Slytherin common room, and he remembered. Though the Second Wizarding War had changed much of the wizarding world's dynamic, house rivalries remained as strong as ever. Gryffindors didn't talk to Slytherins. While objectively that seemed an insignificant reason to end a childhood friendship, James knew better. There had be a reason for her to have been sorted into Slytherin back in their first year. The Sorting Hat didn't make mistakes, after all, and he distrusted all Slytherins on pure principle. Their different Houses kept them away until nothing remained of their friendship besides memories.

There was no way he was going into the Slytherin common room though. A place in the dungeon full of snakes? Full of some of the worst people he'd ever met (besides June, of course, because although they were little more than strangers at this point, he still had a soft spot for her — something he would never admit to himself, never mind out loud)? The thought made him wince, barely noticeable on his furry face. Seeing how the Slytherins live ...

He paused in his thoughts, glancing up at Juniper. This would greatly increase his pranking range, all things considered. To see where the Slytherin common room was located would make setting up pranks targeting them a million times easier. And if he could get inside ...

So James nodded once, meowing in agreement, and stepped forward so he was at her side, waiting to follow her. Ah, the sacrifices he made for practical jokes. And being human.

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Time had a way of seeming impossible long when it mattered. Juniper had to stop herself from chewing her lip after she tasted blood. She looked at James, waiting for any sign of response to her suggestion. Sure, maybe she could leave him here (although she was very against that idea) but anything could happen while she was gone: he could be spooked by ghosts, he could chase mice (she still remembered his short attention span), or any number of things. Until he was set right, Juniper didn't want him to leave her sight. What if something happened to him? She couldn't live with herself.

Again, leading him into the common room had all the makings of a disaster. She was well aware that he hated her house (and therefore, she suspected, hated her) and that exposing her House secrets could give him an advantage. But the important thing now was getting him back to normal, while making sure he was ok. And a Slytherin stooped to any measures to get what she wanted.

When he meowed in what seemed like agreement, Juniper found that she could breathe again. "Oh, good." she exhaled, pushing her hair back. She almost smiled when she looked down and saw him at her side, ready to follow. That was really cute and touching, that he was trusting her again. For the time being at least. "This way." she said, walking towards the dungeons, making her steps small so he wouldn't be strained to follow. She felt a bit sad - when was the last time he followed her anywhere? It may've been their very first day at Hogwarts, when Juniper picked out their boat for the traditional first viewing of Hogwarts ... Any boat would've done, but Juniper was determined to pick the very best one for herself and her best friend.

[JAMES SIRIUS POTTER]

As they walked along, James made sure to look around, memorizing every turn they made to ensure he'd be able to get back there. The castle was huge, and though he was prone to wandering around after hours and exploring between classes, he still didn't know all the tricks and hidden secrets. Every day it felt like a new corridor appeared, only to disappear the next and be replaced by another. It was a maze, a haunted house filled with secret passageways and booty traps, and though he assumed it would be impossible to find everything Hogwarts had to offer, he was determined to try.

Just like he was determined to find the Slytherin common room. So he kept Juniper's pace, the sound of her shoes against the stone floor the only sound (well, the only sound she could hear, James assumed. He could hear the muted snores of paintings, the soft patting his paws made as he moved, the sound of claws somewhere in the distance, likely either Mrs. Norris or a couple of field mice. James' ears stood at attention at this thought, his cat instinct taking over, but he managed to snap out of it for the time being. There were greater tasks at hand).

The lack of communication between the two was deafening, however, and James wondered how long it had been since their last conversation. Years, maybe as far back as his middle of their first year at Hogwarts. He had decided that their friendship couldn't be maintained and had made no effort to continue it, and slowly their conversations died out. There were times when he regretted it, but he usually drowned those thoughts out with distractions, be it women, friends, alcohol or pranks.

Still, though. It was a shame, wasn't it? James snuck a glance at Juniper, who still seemed like the same 11-year-old girl he once knew. Maybe Slytherin hadn't corrupted her as he'd thought. Maybe she was the same girl he'd been best friends with for all those years. The thought frustrated him, and he shook his head, trying to clear it. He simply focused on walking.

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Juniper, also in nostalgic contemplation while they walked, was almost surprised when they made it to the wall that served as the common room entrance. With an uneasy glance towards James, she whispered the password, although she suspected he could probably hear her anyway. That feeling of futility left made her feel horrible inside, but now was no time to be feeling down. "Go on in." she said, trying not to sound too upset by that fact. She let him in before walking in herself.

Juniper, personally, loved the Slytherin common room. Although it was grand, decorated by some skulls, and eeriely green. It felt important though, and being part of something important - some lavish and exclusive group - made Juniper feel optimistic. That though she came from nothing, she could be part of something great. And the ambitious atmosphere that came from being around Slytherins only fueled her desire to accomplish something great. Juniper always felt as though she had to prove herself, as people expected so little of her.

Gryffindors seemed satisfied knowing that they were great and noble people. Brave and all. Juniper didn't really care to be assured that she was capable of good things. She had her values and that was that - who really could say what was right and what was wrong? Juniper witnessed people she knew stealing because they were starving. Was that right or wrong? Who had the authority to say? People were people, and they acted out of necessity. That's all Juniper knew. And what she needed was reassurance that she could be worth something - not whether she could conform herself to arbitrary values.

"Well here we are." Juniper declared uneasily. She pointed towards the girls' dormitory, "My book is there ... I'll just go get it." Bringing James' into the common room was one thing. The girls' dorm on the other hand ... that could be scandalous. Besides, it was a two-second walk. Juniper walked backwards towards it. "So if you could just stay put for just a moment."

[JAMES SIRIUS POTTER]

James simply stared at the girl as she hurried off to find her textbook, and then immediately began wandering around, mind reeling with prank ideas. A whole new world had to be explored now. Even though she had done her best to hide the password from him, his new sensitive ears had caught it regardless, and he figured that that was not his fault. Had he not been turned into a cat, he could have left without another word, never learning the placement of the Slytherin common room, let alone the password. Things were what they were, and James took advantage of every bit of it.

He couldn't say he was a fan of the common room. It screamed rather than spoke, demanding attention simply for existing. Much like Slytherins, he decided, and if it were possible for cats to roll their eyes, he would have done so. Even with all the money he was sure was thrown into it, nothing could have made it seem homey. Nothing was soft or welcoming, instead choosing to intimidate. And while James wasn't intimidated, per say, he wouldn't choose to be here for a second longer than necessary. The color, the coldness seeped through his skin, and he shivered, his whiskers tingling uncomfortably.

And as he explored, he was left alone with his thoughts, and in a rare moment of seriousness, they turned to Juniper. She hadn't changed as much as he had expected — maybe even at all. The desire to treat others with respect, the protectiveness she still had for him (whether reflex or a conscious decision, he wasn't sure, but she could have allowed him to be caught by Filch for another month's worth of detentions), the trust she displayed by bringing him here, in the place she had to know was the perfect target ... as he sniffed around the fireplace, even the flames green and refusing to flood the room with warmth, he felt a pang of regret, the first he had felt since he made the decision to stop being her friend.

He tried to ignore the feeling, something he'd grown rather good at over the years, but it stuck with him, clung to his fur no matter how hard he shook. So instead of exploring further — he could do that on his own time, maybe with the help of a polyjuice potion — he sat down at the bottom of the steps and waited for the girl to return.

[JUNIPER DAHLIA HOLLOW]

Juniper sprinted to the girl's dorminitory, but once there, she tiptoed her way to her bed, underneath which was her textbook. Moving as silently as possible, Juniper froze at every snore, movement, or other unidentified sound and waited until she was sure she was safe. The Transfiguration textbook was rather large, and Juniper struggled to drag it out from under her bed without sound. Then, lifting it, she tiptoed back out of the room. Once out of the room, she had to close the door carefully as well.

She turned, honestly surprised James was waiting for her. Her heart reached out to him in gratitude once more, and she sighed in relief. Walking down a few litte, she sat on the second to last step, close to James. "Thanks for waiting, here we go." she said quietly, now mostly for her own benefit. She placed the book on her knees and opened it, flipping pages looking for the chapter she needed. In a moment's time, she had it. She couldn't help from smiling. "Here it is!" she whispered excitedly.

She lifted her wand and looked at James. After one moment taken to close her eyes and take a breath, she whispered the countercurse. "Katiehdit." She watched as James once again grew in size and regaind human form. When the spell finished, Juniper couldn't help but reach out and touch him. His face, his shoulders, his hair. Yes, he was a real boy once again, Juniper leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief, running her hand through her own hair. "Human. Good." Then she realized she didn't have to talk quite so much anymore, (and she wasn't doing a good job if she resorted to one word sentences anyway) and closed her mouth.