Midnight Catch Up

[serena]

Serena was bored and as usual it made her act before thinking.

Well, it wasn't like she was doing anything too stupid, all she was doing was sneaking out. As much as she loved Christmas, Christmas with all her parents socialite friends was not something she enjoyed, so after hiding out in her room Serena did the only thing she could think to do....she climbed out her bedroom window and made a run for it. Luckily for her the destination she had in mind wasn't too far from her own house, so she shrugged off her annoyance at forgetting her coat....she hadn't realized how cold it had been when she'd slipped out.

Reaching the Potter residence, she crept to the back of the house, spying the room she knew only to well. Smiling she walked to the wall, to the drain and braced her hands up against it. Pulling herself up, she began to climb skillfully up the side of the house, using the drain as leverage. This wasn't the first time she'd practically broke into the Potter residence so she knew how to climb up the wall without falling, or being seen in the windows.

Reaching the familiar window she peered inside, seeing no one in the darkened room she smiled brightly and pushed them wide open. Swinging her leg over the ledge she looked around once more, "Hello...." she sang, brushing her hair from her face as she swung her other leg over the ledge. Jumping down she landed on the hard wooded floor with a light thump before she stood, closed the windows and turned to face the room once more. Sighing softly she kicked off her shoes and made her way over to the bed, quickly jumping onto the huge mattress before laying back against the head board, realizing a second too late that the door had opened..."James that you?" she asked, crossing her legs in front of her and leaning forward to lie on her stomach on the bed, her eyes locked onto the door. She hoped it was James, she knew the other boys were staying for the holidays but hopefully they were in bed, it was after all 1am in the morning.

[James Potter]

"There's a Serena in my bed..."

James's parents had gone to the Worthington's Estate for some kind of christmas function type event, and while usually, James would have gone too, this time he got to stay at home with his friends. The type of people who attended these social things were... fussy. They didn't always like to mix with anyone who they considered to be in any way 'lesser'. Taking Sirius, Remus, and Peter along with him probably wouldn't go down all that well. Sirius they'd probably be okay with since he was a Black, but the others? Those sorts of people wouldn't approve, regardless of how nice they were.

So, home they'd stayed. Remus was off reading a book somewhere and Sirius and Peter were well into their 4th game of wizard chess. For once, Peter was actually beating Sirius at it, and Sirius wasn't too pleased. He was determined that he was going to beat Peter again before the night was out.

As for James? He was bored of watching. He'd headed to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of bottles of beer and decided to head upstairs to see if he could find anything to keep him amused. He left the lights out on the landing as he headed along, downing half a bottle as he went.

Pushing the door open, James heard a noise and he stopped in his place, listening. He wasn't sure whether he'd actually heard anything or not.

"James that you?"

The voice registered and his mind clicked on to who it was. Serena? He reached up to the magical cord that his dad had put in his room years ago, tugging on an invisible, magical vine of a switch which made the lights around his room turn on.

"...There's a Serena in my bed..."

He swigged back the rest of the bottle and threw it on the floor in the corner of the room. He shook his head and headed towards the bed, perching on the end of it. "So to what do I owe this pleasure?"

[serena]

Serena smiled as James entered the room turning the lights on and sent a little wave his way as she rolled onto her bag, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers as she did. "You should feel honored Jamsie..." she said jokingly, shooting a wink at him from her position on the bed. Crossing her legs over she watched as James crossed the room, throwing an empty bottle onto the floor of his room, sending it sliding into the corner.

As he perched on the edge of the bed she smiled up at him, "I couldn't stand being stuck in that house anymore, everyone's so fake...plus they're all asking about my love life." she said pulling a face. Her parents and James's parents were still hinting at the possibility of them getting together. She sat up, crossing her legs beneath her as she turned to face him, shooting him a bright smile. "I'm surprised your up here alone...aren't the guys here?" she asked, her eyes flickering towards the now closed door, surprised the Marauders weren't all together getting drunk.

Speaking of getting drunk. She reached out plucking the other bottle of beer from his hands, taking swig before holding it back out to him, "I used to think you and Sirius were joined at the hip...quite literally in fact..." she teased, smiling at James. "So I'm here...it's up to you to keep me entertained till I have to go back to that prison cell I have to call a home..." she said with a frown, she loved her parents there was no doubt but she couldn't help but feel smothered at times.

[James Potter]

"There's a Serena in my bed..."

James just stared at Serena for a moment, unsure what to make of the fact that there was suddenly a Serena in his room. Sure this wasn't the first time, but it usually wasn't 1 in the morning when she appeared like this.

"Ah... would that be the love life that goes something along the lines of 'So what's happening with you and that Potter boy these days?'. James rolled his eyes and sent a grin her way as he sat on the edge of his bed. As much as his parents meant well, their not so subtle hints at him marrying Serena were starting to get mighty annoying. What happened to freedom to choose his own path in life? He wanted to make his own choices and decisions, not get married to someone his parents wanted him to marry. Sure they meant well, but the whole thing was very... last century.

"Remus is reading as usual. And Sirius and Peter are playing chess. The former unhappily losing to the latter. Again." He watched as Serena took the bottle from his hand and took a swig, handing it back to him. He gave her a glare but followed by a grin so that she knew he was just kidding.

James looked over towards the door. "Tamsy." He called out and within a few seconds there was a pop, and a small house elf appeared near to the door. "Yes master James sir?" The house elf bowed so low that his nose was almost on the floor. James held up the bottle in his hand. "Can you bring a few more of these up, Tamsy?"

With a nod, the elf was gone again, and James turned back to Serena. "We're not quite that closely attached, though you're not the first to say that."

Behind him there was a pop and the house elf was back, half a dozen or so bottles in his arms. He placed him down on the bed side table and after asking if there was anything else they needed, disappeared again.

James drained the bottle in his hand and threw that in the direction of the last one. He stood and walked to the table, picking up two of the bottles and popping the tops of them. James handed one to Serena then flopped down on his bed against his pillows and looked up to her where she was sitting.

"And at what time is that? Tomorrow after breakfast? Or after lunch so that you aren't made to clean up the place too?"

James wrapped an arm around her and pulled her down next to him. The two of them had been friends for more years than either of them could even remember.

[serena]

"You'd be right. I think if they had their way we'd be married as soon as possible, forget school." she said mirroring his action in rolling her eyes, a smile dancing on her lips. She honestly didn't mind their incessant nagging she could deal with that as she had long since decided she was going to live her life how she wanted. Didn't they realize arranged marriages were only something the pureblood fanatic families did and usually they forced each other to marry their own cousins which was incredibly wrong on so many different levels.

As he explained the whereabouts of his friends Serena nodded along, When he summoned Tamsy she sent a wave to the cute little elf, thankful James had thought ahead to ask for more bottles, a drink was exactly what she wanted right now. As the elf disappeared with a 'crack' Serena looked back at James and smiled, "I remember a time when it was you and I attached at the hip..." she said, bumping his shoulder with her own, "I think it's great though, you both make a good team." she said with a nod of her head, unlike most of her peers she was a big fan of the pranks the Marauders pulled.

When the elf returned with the bottles, James got up to open them before handing her one. Smiling she accepted the drink and took a swig, watching as he flopped down against the pillows looking at her as he did. "I'd say after lunch...you know how much I enjoy my sleep and I'd like to avoid that house for a little while longer." she said leaning into him easily when James wrapped his arm around her, tugging her down next to him. It was a familiar and comfortable gesture, they'd always been extremely close as friends and Serena didn't see that changing anytime soon.

"It's getting harder to climb up to your window..." she commented with a slight chuckle, letting her bare legs rest over James as she played with the hem of his shirt idly, "Though I still stand by the fact I can climb that wall faster than you." she joked.

[James Potter]

"I remember a time when it was you and I attached at the hip..."

James sighed and pulled her into a quick hug. "What happened to us?" He knew how close the two of them used to be, but it was since they started Hogwarts five years ago they seemed to have done nothing but drift apart. At least compared to how they used to be. They hardly ever got to spend any time alone, and whenever they were together, either his friends or hers were there too...

The half a dozen bottles that Tamsy brought up weren't going to last the two of them very long, but it was at least a start. Tamsy probably only brought that many up because James's mother had probably told the elf to limit the amount James and his friends had to drink. Since the day they arrived home drunk out of their minds his mother had tried to be a little stricter regarding their alcohol intake.

James grinned at Serena. "So where do you intend to sleep again? In the guest bedroom down the hall that you claimed as your own when you were six, or in my bed?" Usually, she ended up crashing out in his bed and he doubted this night would end any differently, especially if there was booze involved.

For a few minutes the two of the lay side by side, enjoying the comfort and closeness. James missed this. Quite a lot.

At her comment, James couldn't help but laugh as he turned his head to look at her. "You're just getting fatter." He grinned. There wasn't a bit of fat on Serena, she was skinny as a stick, pretty much. She wasn't unhealthy though, she was a nice sized, healthy looking, slender. "The only time you can climb it faster than me is when I'm half drunk and you're not."

He grinned. "So...what exactly have I missed this year? At the usual Worthington Christmas bash."

[serena]

"What happened to us?"

"I blame our parents mostly...they've kind of made it hard to stay friends...reading too much into everything and insisting we marry some day. I love you and all Potter but somehow I don't think we're each others finals." she said with a smile, grateful for the hug, it had been far too long since they'd been this close and she'd missed it. Pressing a kiss to his cheek she smiled "Plus you got way to cool for me...and vice versa, obviously me a little more than you." she said shooting a wink at him so he'd no she was simply fooling around.

At his question she smiled brightly having forgotten about the guest room she'd once claimed. The Potter's of course had been more welcoming and just accepted Serena's admission that the room was hers and no one else's. Despite that though she'd never really slept in it, always opting instead to stay with James in his room, it had always been the most natural choice for her, for them both really. "Like you even have to ask, I'm staying here tonight, no way I'm returning back to that house. So your bed it is..." she said with a smile, patting his leg.

The next few minutes were spent in complete silence, a comfortable sort and Serena began realizing just how much she had missed James and just spending time with him like this. It had been far too long and she was determined not to let them slip back into the routine of not seeing each other again. As he spoke again her mouth fell open and she swatted her hand against his chest, "Your the chunky one my friend..." she said, moving to stand on top of his mattress, wobbling slightly she posed model like. "I therefore challenge you to a race tomorrow, see which one of us can climb faster..." she said.

Dropping back down onto her knees she got back beside James and smiled. "Oh you know same as usual, my parents aren't talking...Mr and Mrs Christou are trying to pretend no one knows Mr Christou has been sleeping with his secretary, everyone's acting all friendly and acting like they don't all hate each other...you know the usual. More than anything it was just boring..." she sighed taking a sip of her drink. She really did hate the falseness of the parties the socialites, the rich and famous all threw. "I had to get out of there and this was the first place I could think of to come..." she'd always loved the Potter's there was nothing false about them.

[James Potter]

James grinned at Serena. He knew that she’d be sleeping in his bed – she always did. She’d claimed the room down the hall when she was six but she’d only slept there once to twice.

To be honest, James was pretty sure the only reason she’d claimed that room at all was because his parents had agreed that it was no bother for Serena to stay for a few nights while her parents went away for a wedding or something that was no children allowed. The two of them, James and Serena, had got into some kind of petty argument in the way that most kids do, over something stupid like one winning a game and the other accusing them of cheating. They’d both been in a bit of a huff and Serena had decided that she wasn’t going to sleep anywhere near James that night and so had adventured down the hall and claimed the room furthest from him as her own.

They’d quickly got over their silly fall out though and Serena ended up straight back in James’s room, but his parents had already put her name on the other door, partly for amusement and partly to make her feel welcome… or something like that. James hadn’t really been old enough to understand at that point.

”It’s not chunk, it’s muscle, m’dear. It’s called being an awesome Quidditch player.” He grinned when she jumped to her feet and struck a pose. ."I therefore challenge you to a race tomorrow, see which one of us can climb faster..."

James laughed and Serena dropped back down beside him. ”Fair enough. Depending on how much we can get Tamsy to bring us to drink. I’d much rather get drunk tonight, wouldn’t you?” He grinned. Serena loved a good drink as much as he did, and they definitely needed to steal some time out of school after Christmas – head out to Hogsmeade for a night, just the two of them. They’d have a ton of fun.

James gave her a shocked look. ”Mr Christou and his secretary? Isn’t she like… two years out of school and less than half his age or something?” Wow… he hadn’t been expecting to hear that. The Christou’s were a well known and well respected family, and to think the guy would stoop as low as that? Wow… His secretary wasn’t even a pureblood… Something like that could really ruin their family…

”What are my parents doing? Dad’s no doubt chatting up to whichever ministry officials he can find in the place. Or is that Swiss guy there again? The one dad was obsessed about last time?” Oh god… he’d been so glad to get back to Hogwarts that time so that he didn’t need to listen to anymore about the guy.