CHAPTER NINE

James was diligently searching the vicinity, trying to find his favorite Hufflepuff. She seemed to stick out amongst the crowd, which made her easy to spot, but at this very moment, she seemed to have vanished. He tried looking in various different locations, hoping to find any sign of her, but had no luck.

After a few moments of searching, James grew more and more frustrated as he couldn't find Tabitha anywhere. His eyes scanned the halls, but she was nowhere in sight.

James' concern grew as he continued to search for her, checking the library and other usual spots he knew she visited, but she was nowhere to be found. He couldn't help but worry about her whereabouts, knowing that she would be occupied with her OWLs studying.

He let out an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "Where could she possibly be?"

James' frantic demeanor as he darted through the halls was impossible to miss. To any outsider, it would seem as if he had pulled yet another prank and was fleeing the scene. But his friends, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, understood the real cause behind his hasty search.

With just a single word — Tabitha — they knew instantly that he was on the hunt for her. They didn't ask any questions, knowing he wouldn't offer any further explanation.

He then had to resort to using the Marauder's Map to find out her whereabouts.

He swiftly unfolded the map, his heart racing as he searched through the intricate lines and labels. After a few moments, the layout of the hospital wing came into view, and a small dot in the middle of the infirmary indicated Tabitha's location.

"Hospital Wing... She's in the hospital wing?" he muttered under his breath, his concern mounting.

"Merlin , what happened?" he whispered urgently to himself, his concern growing with every passing moment.

He couldn't understand why she would be there. Was she sick? Injured? The million possibilities of what could be wrong rushed through his mind, each scenario more frantic than the last.

James knew he had to find her, to see for himself what was going on. Without a second thought, he folded the map closed and took off on a run towards the Hospital Wing.

As he raced through the corridors, James could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He was trying to ignore the various whispers and looks he received as he dashed past other students, but he couldn't care less about them right now.

His mind was focused solely on reaching the hospital wing, on seeing Tabitha and making sure she was alright.

He finally reached the doors of the Hospital Wing, his chest heaving from the sprint. He pushed the doors open and stepped inside, his eyes instantly scanning the room for any sign of her.

James stood panting in the doorway, his eyes finally locked on Tabitha, who was lying on one of the hospital beds. He felt a wave of relief wash over him at the sight of her, but the relief was also tinged with a mixture of panic and worry.

"Bitsy," he managed to gasp out, still trying to catch his breath, "I've been searching for you. Why are you here?"

"Jas?" she spoke, her voice catching his attention.

James took a few deep breaths as he approached her bedside, his eyes quickly assessing her from head to toe. She looked pale, with a hint of fatigue on her face, and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease.

"You look..." he trailed off, struggling to find the right words. "Are you okay, Bitsy? What happened to you?"

"How did you know I was here?" she inquired, her voice laced with confusion.

James responded with a frown, placing his hands on his hips as he asked again forcefully, "Bitsy, WHAT happened?"

His sudden change in tone nearly caused her to flinch, and she repeated his question sheepishly.

James watched as a flicker of confusion crossed Tabitha's face when she asked how he knew she was there. He chose to ignore that question for now, more focused on her well-being.

"Nevermind how I knew," he answered impatiently. "I asked you first, Bitsy. Why are you here? You don't look alright. Tell me what happened."

Tabitha muttered sheepishly, "I sort of overworked myself"

James, visibly relieved, collapsed onto the bed, his head landing on her lap. She chuckled softly and began gently patting his head, knowing that he was the one who needed it more, given his rapid, uneven breathing.

He let out a small, low chuckle in response to her comment. He then shifted in the bed, causing both of them to lie next to each other, though James was on his side with Tabitha laying flat on her back.

"How exactly did you overwork yourself to end up here?" James asked, prompting her to sigh.

"It has happened a couple of times before," she began to explain, "I get so engrossed in reading that I forget to eat and sleep."

James looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and concern. He knew that she loved reading more than anything, but he couldn't understand how she could forget to eat and sleep because of it.

"Reading, Bitsy," he mumbled, still struggling to comprehend her words. "You forgot to eat and sleep because you were engrossed in reading. Those are the most important things you need. How on Merlin's beard did you forget about them?"

She shrugged nonchalantly and inadvertently turned to face him. "Frank tends to go berserk when he finds out," she admitted, "That's why I begged my fellow prefect not to say a word about it."

James offered a reassuring smile as he confessed, "He's just worried about you, just like I am. When I saw where you were, I almost rushed here so fast I nearly got admitted to this place too."

Tabitha questioned, "You saw where I was?"

James responded with a sly grin, "It's another one of those things you'll have to figure out about me."

"Right," she said with a roll of her eyes, "I bet it's the way you always find me."

James chuckled and replied, "No, I usually don't use that method because I find it easy to find you. If I were a Seeker, I'd make a joke about that."

Tabitha groaned in response. "Oh please, no—no 'quidditch puns,' Jas. I'll push you right out of this bed if you do." Her words only made James laugh more.

James couldn't help but let out a bellowing laugh at her exaggerated groans. The look on her face whenever he made a quidditch-related pun was absolutely priceless.

"Oh, come on, Bitsy," he chuckled, leaning a bit closer to her. "You know you love my quidditch-inspired humor. It's part of my irresistible charm, isn't it?" He then leaned even closer, his mischievous grin widening.

Tabitha rolled her eyes again, trying to ignore the closeness of his face. His charming grin was both annoying and captivating at the same time.

"Your 'charm' may need some serious updating, Jas," she retorted. "Your quidditch humor has about 50% chance of working on me."

As she attempted to force him away with her weak push, James simply chuckled and inched even closer. He could see the affectionate glimmer in her eyes despite her mock irritation.

"Admit it, Bitsy," he provoked with a smirk, "You love having me around, even if I do drive you crazy with my quidditch talk and stupid banter."

Tabitha tried to maintain her annoyed facade, but James's relentless teasing and proximity were making it difficult. She knew he could see through her feigned annoyance, and she sighed in defeat.

"Oh, hush," she muttered, gently shoving him away again. "I wouldn't go so far as to say I love having you around. Your quidditch talk is still incredibly annoying."

James's smirk grew even wider at her frustrated yet affectionate reply. He could tell he was getting under her skin, and he reveled in it.

"Oh, really?" he teased, shifting his body even closer. "You don't love having me around? I guess that means you'd be totally fine if I just left right now, then."

He deliberately began to pull away, as if preparing to leave. He paused for a moment, watching her reaction as he slowly moved away from her. She caught onto his ploy and quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving.

"Alright, alright," she admitted, her voice tinged with reluctant fondness. "Maybe I do appreciate having you around. Even with your annoying puns banter."

James's smirk turned into a grin as she stopped him from leaving and admitted that she appreciated having him around. He knew he had won this round, and his victory was evident in his smug expression.

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" he exclaimed triumphantly, leaning closer to her again. "You secretly love my charming, sarcastic banter, don't you?"

Tabitha rolled her eyes once more, but her lips curved into a smile. It was like a never-ending battle between annoyance and affection whenever they were together.

"Fine, I admit it," she confessed. "Your cocky, sarcastic personality does have its... appeal. But don't let it go to your already overinflated head."

James chuckled, his ego visibly inflating at her admission. He knew he could get under her skin so effortlessly, and he loved every second of it.

"Over inflated ego, huh?" he said, feigning offense. "I prefer to think of it as a healthy level of confidence, thank you very much. But I'll try not to let it get too out of hand, just for you."

Tabitha raised an eyebrow, pretending not to be amused by his bravado. "How gracious of you," she remarked sarcastically. "I suppose I should be grateful you're willing to keep your ego in check for my sake."

James laughed heartily, not bothering to hide his smugness. "You're damn right you should be grateful," he joked, puffing out his chest. "Not everyone would be able to control their ego around someone as irresistible as me."