Thunderstruck

The summer light was shinning off the water, an inviting way, the heat was thick with humidity, the clouds building off at the distance promised to bring some much needed rain. Though the darkness of them - unnoticed by the girl - seemed to be indicating that rain might not be the only thing they were brining.

Still, at the moment, all she wanted was some relief from the unrelenting heat, that was making her regret even having to wear her coolest outfit (A white halter, that barely met her almost scandlessly short shorts). It was only her over whelming sense of propriety that kept her from ripping all articles off.

Spying a tree she dived for cover under it, longing for a break from the sun, only to find it just has hot away from it. A growl of frustration came from her lips and she flopped to the hard, dried out ground, ignoring the way the grass prickled at her exposed back. Closing her eyes she bundled all her long hair at top of her head.

"Is it over yet?"

The heat was over bearing. It was like James had stepped into a desert, a place he had never been, but could only imagine what the heat would be like there. The ground beneath his feet was dry, and cracked, and the humidity in the air made it difficult to breathe.

He looked up to the sky as darkening clouds made their way towards him. Sighing at the realization that it was probably going to rain, and at how under dressed he was such weather, James walked briskly towards the shade of the trees.

As he came closer to one tree, the Slythering noticed another girl sitting under it, well more like lying under it, muttering "Is it over yet?"

Chuckling James walked over to her, recognizing her somewhat, and saying, "Sadly I don't think it's going to end for some time."

Sitting down next to her, he clasped his hands in his lap and looked back up at the sky. "This really is shit weather." he said laughing, more to himself than anything.

Her eyes had drifted shut as if not being able to see the sun would keep her away from the endless heat. So far it hadn't seem to have any affect. She allowed her eyes to squint back open as the scrunching of the dead grass alerted her to another beings approach.

"That is most unfortunate then," she quipped looking him over with a mingle of hesitation, but not actively moving away or trying to push him away either. He seemed safe enough. She'd just have to remember to keep an eye out. "And you're a meteorologist now?"

Her bleak laugh was the only agreement she gave him. She felt like she was baking alive, and had been for the last few days. Deciding to dwell on something else, she looked at her new companion, frowning at his familiarity.

"You go to Hogwarts, don't you?"

James smiled, and let out a soft chuckle. Though she seemed slightly irritated, at least in his opinion, he never the less found what she said rather amusing.

Despite being a pureblood wizard, James knew to some extent what a meteorologist was, he was sure he had heard one of his friends speaking about it years ago.

"Maybe I am, I do have an interest in space." he said smiling and crossing his arms for emphasis. Quickly however, he put his arms back where they were. He found moving too much made him even hotter than he already was.

James gave the girl a reassuring nod to her question. "Yes, yes I do. And I am fairly certain you do to, am I right?" he asked his own question in return.

"I'm James by the way." he said introducing himself, though not bothering to hold out his hand, he was still too hot to move.

"I think that space is a little too far for a meteorologist," she mused with a soft laugh. "An astronomist, maybe, but I think a meteorologist just looks at the weather and stuff. Jet-streams and the likes." At least that seemed like what they did to her, back when she lived at home and paid attention. "Either way they're wrong half the time anyway. Maybe they'd be better if they actually did look at space."

With years to develop there was still some things, it seemed, that would never be more than educated guess work. She supposed if they actually had magic it might work better. If she could actually cast spells outside of school perhaps she could even make it slightly less hot.

She couldn't wait until she was of age.

"Juliet," She nodded her head, eyes lazily gazing back at the approaching clouds. She wondered if she should go back home, but they didn't seem that close. She should have time. "Hufflepuff, I think you're in my year -aren't you? Or am I imagining faces."

"Perhaps." James said simply, shrugging as part of his reply. Being a pureblood, James really had next to no knowledge on the things she was talking about, so he really had no reason to go into an in depth response.

Juliet. He was sure he had heard the name before, but couldn't manage to put a face to it until now. "Slytherin, if you must know, and yes, in your year." he said with a slight chuckle.

Leaning back against the rough bark of the tree they sat under, James sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Will this heat ever end? I mean it's been like this almost all summer!" he exclaimed, glaring up at the sky through the branches of the tree.

"It's a little ridiculous." he muttered. "Anyways, so, what brings you out here on this...not so fine day?" he asked turning his head slightly so he could look at her.

She looked over at the boy, appraising him slowly, looking for the familiarity she had thought she had seen. It was starting to get shameful the amount of people she should have lessons with regularly that she wasn't recognizing. You thinking someone would get their act together.

"I thought you seemed more familiar than... something." It was too hot to think so she was going to just not bother trying.

Out across the horizons a low roll of thunder drifted across to her. She picked up her head with a frown. Did those clouds get closer than they should have in the last few minutes. A warm breeze was coming around them - not cooling down at all, but it was causing the leaves above her to dance.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was restless, I heard there was water here," she flashed the boy a half grin, "Not that it seemed to make the area any cooler.

James merely gave Juliet a small shrug at her words. "I am not a very...popular face around school." he said smiling a little, but then stopped, because it seemed that even smiling made him hotter.

Raising a hand, he wiped his forehead with his palm and then shook off the droplets of sweat onto the ground in slight disgust and embarassment. Sure everyone sweated, but not a lot of people found it appealing.

"Ahh, water...sounds so nice, but I am too lazy to get up and too hot to move." he replied, in a light laughable tone, but made no move to smile whatsoever.

This heat was getting ridiculous, and though the water was barely a few feet away from where the two were seated, James made no move to get up.

"And I am?" she snorted and raised her eyebrow. Juliet was quite sure that popular was the last thing that she was. "And I really should be able to recognize someone in my own class. So I'm still at fault."

She nodded her head, sending hair sprawling and sticking to her hot perspiration coated skin. A grimace crossed her face and she regretted it immediately. Another roll of thunder came, and she glanced at the clouds slightly more concerned than before.

"It might break, after that comes in," she nodded her head towards the clouds. She should really move, try to get inside. The wind was beginning to bend the near by trees at a noticeable level, however the heat left her with no desire to do anything. "At least it should get rid of some of this humidity."

James gave Juliet a shrug, saying, "We can't all remember everyone, you know. So don't feel bad." he said giving her a half smile.

Looking up at the sky when a clap of thunder hit, James frowned but then smiled a little. He liked thunderstorms, more or less anyways. "If it takes away the humidity, I will be forever grateful." he said laughing.

He really hoped the storm would help with the heat, he could hardly stand it being so damn outside. "It's days like this, that I wish there was snow on the ground, though I don't particularly like winter." he said not neccessarily to Juliet, but just as a thought.

Winter was one of his least favourite seasons, but he would give anything for a light sprinkle of snow at the moment.

Smiling slightly bashfully she let out a laugh, "I'll try."

The clouds had finally invaded their little area, darkening the sky and blocking out there sun. However joyful that moment might have seemed, none of the heat seemed to evaporate with it. If anything Juliet thought it might have gotten hotter.

"What's so bad about snow? I always like snow, its pretty - far prettier than ran."

The roll of thunder made her slightly nervous. Where there was thunder there was always -

A flash of lightning brightened the sky and blinding her for a moment. Worrying her lip she looked around.

"Maybe we should... move away from the tree?"

James shrugged, not really sure why he didn't like snow. "I guess it's just too cold when it snows. It's not the actual snow I don't like, it's the chill that comes with it." he explained to Juliet, though it was more of a realization for him.

Seeing the bright flash of lightning and upon seeing Juliet's worried expression, he nodded in agreement with her suggestion of leaving the tree.

Standing up, rather wearily, James waited as Juliet pushed herself up off the ground, before they began walking around.

"That seems hardly fair to the snow," she teased with a little smile as she sat up, being lethargic in her attempts to get to her feet. Her worry wasn't completely outweighing her laziness at the moment, "Hold what it can't help against it. It would be like me saying I didn't like you just because you're a boy. You can't help being male any more than the snow can help being cold." Laughing a little she finally pulled herself to her feet, as the wind swirled around them. The leaves in the tree made a violent rustling sound, and she had to hold her long hair down to keep it out of her mouth.

Jogging a little she caught up with the boy, getting out from under the tree, and not a moment too soon.

No sooner head Juliet turned her back on what had once been offering her shelter from the sun, did another bright flash cross the sky - only this time it seemed to almost cross her vision, before there as a large crack - this one not anything like thunder - and the smell of burnt wood filled her nostrils. Turning around as the rain finally started falling around the two, the tree that she had once been standing other was scorched, and neatly split down the middle.

James laughed, then briefly raised his eyebrows at Juliet, but said nothing, except, "That's true, but I still stand by what I said." he chuckled one last time, before looking around as a violent wind began to kick up the dirt and rustle the leaves of the trees.

He gave Juliet a smile as they quickly started to wander away from the tree they were just under, but his smiled faded slightly as he saw, with a crack and flash of lightning, as the tree split in half.

"Wow, you don't see that everyday." he said lightly, though feeling slightly sorry for the tree, which was odd for him.

The smell of smoke suddenly filled his nose and made him feel slightly sick. Where there was smoke there was always fire, and that was one of his greatest fears. He didn't say anything to Juliet but started to walk a little faster.

Juliet blinked at the tree for a few moment's longer before realizing that as she had stayed still the other boy had run on ahead. Shaking her head, she took a few leaping runs to catch up just as the rain began to fall, causing the tree to smoulder, the tiny flames that may have been growing were quickly being extinguished though the smoke was growing in the small area.

Wrinkling her nose, Juliet didn't look back as they moved forward, instead watching the boy beside her's pace.

"You okay? You were far away enough right. It didn't like hit you or anything did it?"

Nodding fiercely, trying to cover up his fear, but then coming to the conclusion that maybe lying wasn't the best, he replied, "I'm okay. It didn't hit me, it's just..." Then he stopped. He wasn't sure whether or not to bring up the subject of fears.

Taking a deep slightly shuddering breath, he said, "I guess I don't like the idea of fires."

He glanced down at Juliet, and seeing her watching him, and how he was walking, he gave her a weak smile. "I'll be ok. How about you? You didn't get hit or anything, right?" he asked sincerely hoping she didn't, if she did, he would have no idea about what to do.

Juliet nodded and looked over her shoulder, double checking that what she had seen correctly was true. The fire was mostly out now, though the smell was very much like it hadn't been smothered out at all. "Fires a very logical fear - Burns are particularly unpleasant. Is there any particular reason, or..."

Blushing slightly she shrug, "Sorry to pry, its none of my business. The fire is out though, so you don't need to worry, even if it smells like it isn't."

"No, no - thank goodness," she patted herself down, as if checking for the wounds she knew weren't there. It was hard to miss getting hit by lightening. "It seems we moved just in time. Its a good thing my mother warned me never to stand under a tree in a thunderstorm."

Taking a deep breath, hoping for clean air, only to be gagged by the strong smell of burning wood, James suddenly felt nauseas. "I had a...terrible experience with it a few years ago." he said, his face growing pale.

"It's ok. I don't mind, it's just hard to talk about sometimes." he said with a shrug as he wiped a hand across his forehead.

James laughed weakly, looking over his shoulder, checking to see if the fire was out, even though he trusted Juliet. "Yeah, good thing." he said. Looking around as they walked, James had no idea what he was going to do now. "So, what now?" he asked, body shaking slightly from the suddenness of it all.

Suddenly James felt like his twelve year old self, after his father had saved him from the fire, shaken up and confused, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

Her face immediately morphed into one of sympathy as she listened to the boy, "I'm sorry. That truly is... terrible." She flashed him a bemused little grin at her inability to think of a better word.

The rain continued to pour down on the pair, and her hair was beginning to stick to her face. Using her hand, Juliet pushed it back, hoping the rain would flatten it into something that wasn't quite unattractive. The wind continued to roar around them, and the thunder and lightening was still going. Juliet had gotten over most of her fear of storms as she aged, but she couldn't quite help but glance up nervously as each roll of thunder became louder.

Still, she wrapped an arm through her companions and continued walking them seemingly aimlessly about the area. At the moment it was just obvious that she was taking them away from the tree and the smell that was making the other boy so nervous and towards town. People. Civilization.

"I had a terrible experience myself, when I was... younger than I am now," she gave a soft laugh. Perhaps sharing her own experiences to some extent would make him feel more comfortable. Everyone had fears and experiences, didn't they? "When I was in second year, I had the misfortune of... running into some very unpleasant girls. You don't need all the details, it shall just make you uncomfortable, I'm sure, but I was very upset afterwards. In fact, I was even lucky there was an afterwards. The other girl I had been with didn't..." Juliet's lips thinned and she froze in her conversation. After a moment she cleared her voice, "I didn't talk for half a year. Words simply would not come out of my mouth."

She shrugged her shoulders, letting the silence ring for a moment as she composed herself, and pushed thoughts of that past away, back to where they belongs.

"So I have a fear of strangers, sometimes, and I can't stand the thought of not helping another person. That maybe I'll do it all over again, and another person I could have helped will just... not be helped." Again she shrugged her shoulders, again she paused, and then as if a switch flipped in her brain she was offering a comforting grin.

"So see? We all have fears of one thing or another, and all for perfectly acceptable reasons. So you really shouldn't be ashamed at all."

"Thanks." he said, smiling a little at her expression her face. He had heard people say the same things she had and rarely had anybody meant it. James wasn't sure if Juliet had meant it, but he knew that either way, she meant well.

Running a hand through his now soaked hair, he cursed under his breath as the rain came down harder. He hated being wet, well mostly when he was in a bad or frightened mood, like he was now. Inside, he hoped that Juliet was taking him towards a place they could dry off.

James's expression turned from all smiley, to suddenly grim and almost angry as Juliet told him her story. He couldn't, no he wouldn't imagine anyone hurting her, nor could he imagine why anyone would. Looking down at Juliet, he gave her a look that told her how sorry he was, how almost angry he was at those girls.

"I am so sorry, no one should ever go through that." he said, his words filled with sympathy.

"Yeah, I know we all have fears. It's just, do you ever feel like your the only one, even though you know you're not?" he asked, looking out ahead, eyes squinting. "Those days, I feel ashamed to have a fear of fires." he explained, but then shrugged.

He smiled down at her, acknowledging her comforting grin.

She took a turn on the street once they reached it, the suddenly decisive action suddenly seeming forgotten as she continued to walk them down the street, gaze skimming the surroundings in a leisurely manner. At the boys words she glanced up, nodding slowly and her expression flashing close to a grin. It was a wan one, not entirely happy but it was positive. In a way it belayed the expression that had crossed the boy's face at her declaration.

"You're right, they shouldn't. However, even if I wouldn't chose to do it again, I do think... I think the experience helped me grow in a way that I'm not sure I would have had it not happened - or at least it would have taken me a lot longer." She took a tiny hop-skip, and then flashed an impish little grin, "I use to be frightfully shy, can you believe it?"

The little laugh she gave sobered slightly at his next statement. It was true that this boy was a practical stranger. Juliet hadn't even been aware of his name until a moment before but she simply couldn't stand the thought of anyone uncomfortable or unhappy. Not unless she really felt they deserved it. So if she saw anyone otherwise she just...

She wanted to do something.

"I do know the feeling; I didn't talk for months remember," she gave a little wink to let him know that she wasn't dwelling negatively on the thought or on him, "there is nothing quite as isolating, embarrassing than being so terrified of everything you can't even communicate that fear. " Humming slightly she frowned at the boy and then at herself before she paused them both, bending down and slowly untying both her shoes, taking them off her feet, and then removing one of the laces from one.

Straightening she took his arm and began to tie the item around his wrist, "There. Now you can remember, no matter where you are, or how afraid and alone you feel. Someone out there, me or anyone else you want to think of - knows the feeling too. You are not alone, and they understand."

James smiled a little, and as they turned a corner, and began to head down a street, he said, "Well if I'm to be honest, not really. But at least now you seem stronger, and quite fun to be around." he grinned as she skipped a little.

To James, Juliet didn't see the quiet type at all, but he couldn't make assumptions after only just meeting her. She looked at him, smiling to show him she was not going to be negative about it, and he would have applauded her for it.

"I still think it's awful. I can't imagine being that terrified. I mean I was, after my incident with the fire...I never went near anything hot for months." he said with a shrug. He had gotten over it to some extent, but the memories never left him.

He watched with a slight curiousity as she stopped to pull out one of her shoe laces and tied it around his wrist. He looked down at her, smiling. "Thank you Juliet." he said. He was glad he met her, to be honest and he hoped they could be friends. She was a fairly nice person and was someone he could be comfortable around.

"Now, where are we off to?" he asked, as he looked up and around.

"Thank you," she responded warmly. "I can still be quiet at times, as hard as it is to believe, I just..." she frowned slightly as she attempted to think about it. In all honesty she hadn't really reflected on the changes that had taken place within her, but merely taken them for granted as they had come, "I suppose you could say that after wanting to say things, but not being able to do so, I decided to never waste the opportunity again."

"Its not a nice feeling at all. But, you would know that." Giving a soft grin she tugged on the edge of the lace she had tied on his wrist, "And now you won't have to forget that other people know it too. So I don't even need to say you're welcome."

Picking up her shoes in her right hand - one was useless without its laces and she wasn't going to wear only one shoe - she threaded her left one through his own again, "Now, now - I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you - where is the fun in that?"

A smile appeared on James's lips as she spoke. "I think that's most reasonable. Opportunities should not be wasted." he said thoughtfully, thinking of all the opportunities he had had. The ones he had turned down and the ones he had taken up. Some he regretted some, he had not.

"I would." he replied matching her grin. "And again, thank you. I think this is the first time I've spoken about my fears and gotten something good out of it."

Rolling his eyes playfully, he shook his head. "No I guess I don't want to spoil it. No fun, no fun." he chuckled.

Adding a bounce to her step the girl grinned and nodded to emphasise her agreement, "You most certainly cannot let opportunities pass. If you do you'll miss out on everything."

Though, one could argue that there are more than a few things that one would haven't have minded missing, but she supposed that was life.

"Well then I'm glad to help."

Marching on ahead, she grinned and began to tow the boy through the streets again, humming as she took all the turns to get to their destination.