Distraction (Harry and Hermione)

[lily]

Sometimes you just want to tell the world to shut up, maybe even break up from it. That’s what Lily wanted to do for an hour, just escape for a while until things could feel normal again. She was still jumpy from her last meeting with Severus. That brought a lot more confusion into her life than it needed to. There were so many other things she should have been thinking about. Then again, she would have to come to these musings eventually. She was almost ready to graduate. She couldn’t stay at Hogwarts anymore, after this, and stay protected. No… Soon she’d be thrust out into the world. That could go in so many different directions. So much so that she didn’t know what to do, or what to think. There was a looming danger. She knew she would have to either fight it or run from it.

… Perhaps she should fight it…

The air was cool and fresh. There was a sudden breeze that caressed her face and her hair, snapping her from her thoughts. She smiled a little and nodded in gratitude toward the swaying air. [red]“You’re right,”[/red] she said to no one in particular, [red]“I shouldn’t be thinking about this stuff yet. There’s so much I have to do before worrying about that. There’s still time.”[/red]

Lily stood and stretched her arms into the air, taking in the scenery for the first time. The Lake at autumn was a beautiful sight. The water was littered with pieces of dead leaves that either fell from the trees of the Forbidden Forest or from the Whomping Willow. It was gorgeous and serene. She wondered why the majesty of it hadn’t distracted her before. Lily stuffed her hands in her pockets and let out a little shiver. She was always so sensitive to the elements. She was alone… it was peaceful. She loved this feeling. Usually when she was alone, or alone and lazing about, she got anxious. But now? Now it felt nice… like she was taking a personal day.

Lily ducked down and grabbed a flat, smooth rock from the collection of pebble at her feet. With a small grunt, she flung it, and it began to skip over the water before sinking down into the depths of its new home. She could akin the movement to dances, as she kept looking for rocks to skip upon the flat surface of the water, creating ripples that intermingled and bounced off of each other like it was their natural inclination to do so. Sometimes she wished she could be like water… always flowing, always peaceful, always certain of what and where it was.

It was a strange desire. She kept skipping the rocks, trying to make the next one skip one more than the other.

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[harrypotter]

Normally Harry loved the castle with all of its twisting halls and secrets, but coming back in time to before he was even born had rattled his nerves. He was not in the mood to remain locked within the stone walls of Hogwart's and get some fresh air. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around everything that had happened and he and Hermione were trying to figure out if there was a way back to their own time. The prospect of being with his parents and godfather again was wonderful, but even Harry knew they didn’t belong, and they couldn’t stay forever. The sixteen year old moved down the halls to the front doors and out of the castle into the sunlight letting out a sigh of relief.

Harry shivered slightly and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he lazily strolled away from the castle towards the black lake. The seasons were the same no matter which time you were in and Harry watched some of the gold and red leaves lifted by a gust of wind to dance through the air. With a small smile he continued on towards the lake catching sight of a mane of red hair as he drew closer. The young man’s heart started to pound as he continued to move until he stood just to one side of his mother catching the woman’s eye color to confirm who it was. His hands suddenly felt sweaty and he wiped them on the legs of his jeans to dry them as he swallowed hard.

What could he say to her? Here in this time she and his father weren’t together, they hadn’t even graduated so thoughts of him didn’t even exist. How could he stand there and explain that he was her and James son from the future? With a shake of his head Harry ran a hand over the back of his neck and managed a very small sigh before he threw caution to the wind and decided to speak.

“Hello Mu- Lily…..”

Harry mentally kicked himself for the near slip up, it was only natural seeing that she was his mother, but he had been berating himself about telling her moments before. Harry managed a very small nervous smile as he turned his gaze to the lake staring at the way the water glistened and the leaves floated lazily on the surface until one was grabbed by a tentacle belonging to the giant squid.

“Nice day isn’t it?”

Oh smooth Harry, talk about the weather, that will really make things easier!

[lily]

Lily instinctively felt someone approaching her, but did nothing to stop the person from doing so. She almost wanted to smile, laugh and say aloud: “well, that didn’t talk long,” but she began to think that that would have been rude. So, she stayed silent and continued to skip rocks. The person stood beside her, looking her over with the most curious expression of nervousness on his face. Well, not like she hadn’t turned enough to see his face. His posture just gave him away. Usually, if Lily were in normal spirits, she would have tried to calm his nervousness with small talk. She didn’t really feel like attempting to. Well, a few moments later she realized she didn’t have to. He did it for her.

“Hello Lily. Nice day, isn’t it?”

Lily shrugged a shoulder with a small smile. [red]“As any autumn day could be,”[/red] she replied haphazardly. She turned to address her visitor. When his visage registered, she frowned deeply and crossed her arms. James… Wasn’t it? It sure looked like James. He knew her name, too. He was just as nervous as James usually was when he was around her. It didn’t exactly sound like him; did he have a cold? Ugh, why did she even care? Lily tilted her head, scrutinizing him as if this were the first time she had ever seen someone like him. He had the same dirty hair, the same glasses, the same body structure -- it had to be James. Except, there was something off. His eyes, they were different, and yet they were also familiar. She never noticed how green they were.

Unwittingly, she smiled. But soon after she forced herself to frown again. Oh, no you don’t, she thought, mentally chastising herself. You’re still mad at this boy. Don’t oogle. Lily sighed through her nose and shook her head incredulously, addressing him finally as who she thought he was. [red]“You’ve got some nerve, Potter,”[/red] she said, letting out a bitter laugh. She leaned down and grabbed another rock. She threw it against the water with all her might; it skipped ten times.

[red]“What do you want, you Toerag?”[/red] she asked, feeling her face flush in irritation and embarrassment. [red]“If you’re going to ask for another date, you’re wasting your breath. The answer is still no and will always be no.”[/red]