Being alone is not my song

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

It was a cold wet day that made you want to stay indoors with a blanket wrapped around your shivering body. The sound of the rain hitting the windows would make you sleepy and wanting to not get out of bed at all.

Today was a day like that for Camilla. Her light eyes were blurry from the tears rolling down her cheeks. She barely kept it together at the funeral of her now forever gone grandfather. The sad thing was that she ended up being the only one there since everyone was already gone.

Camilla tried to calm her nerves with a simple tea blend poured into her favorite mug while sitting in her tiny apartment, staring ahead out of a window.

word count ● harriet jones ● notes

[harriet jones]

Harriet had made a few decisions in life that she regretted. Things that had lead to her siblings getting hurt, or to someone she loved getting in trouble usually. Right now however, as she walked through the rain toward Camilla's apartment building. She nursed a different kind of regret. She hadn't attended her friend's grandfather's funeral. Not because she didn't care, Harriet was sure her friend's grandfather had been a great man. She hadn't been there because she feared being an invader. She feared that attending a celebration of a life she never saw a moment of would be offensive. That she'd be out of place, even if she only intended to serve as moral support to her poor, broken-hearted friend. She hated that she hadn't been there, and she felt as though she owed the other woman company, and love if nothing else. Of course there wasn't nothing else. She'd bought with her a boquet of flowers to brighten the other's home, and a box of chocolate cauldrens, knowing that sometimes comfort eating, while it wasn't the most healthy option truly did help.

Harriet approached the apartment, dressed in her usual, attire of jeans, a tank top and now, a rather wet leather jacket. gifts in hand, she knocked gently upon her friends door. Harriet felt a strange sense of nervousness as she considered what was about to happen. Camilla meant more to Harriet than the Quidditch star had ever put into words, and the idea of seeing that girl hurting, it just wasn't something Harriet would even be able to prepare herself for. But she was loyal to the bone, and wouldn't let Camilla suffer alone.

Finally after a moment of hesitation, wherein she didn't consider walking away but rather agonised over what she would say, she knocked on the other's door, pulling her face into a sad but supportive smile.

"Thought you could use some company, Cam." She managed as the other woman's face came into view. Her voice wasn't quite its usual confident, strong tone. The strength was there but her voice was a little hushed, a little uncertain. Inviting the healer to turn her away, if she wasn't ready for people yet.

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

The knock on the door snapped Camilla out of her sad thoughts making her head turn to the door. The blonde slowly got up and headed for the door, her hands wiping the tears off her face before managing a smile to appear like everything was alright. She never liked to see other people worry about her problems, they were her problems after all.

"Harriet..thank you." she could hear the tone in her voice had changed from her regular tone. She wished Harriet was there but it was something she couldn't ask from her without getting the possibility of too much publicity. Camilla tried to keep herself in a neutral and safe spot where no one paid too much attention to her.

"Please come in.."

word count ● harriet jones ● notes

[harriet jones]

The problem with smiling to Harriet to show her that everything was all right was that she had grown up in abusive house hold with a brother who would constantly do the same thing. She could tell when a smile didn't reach another's eyes. She was getting good at judging when a smile was genuine and when it was forced. When Camilla's smile was genuine, the world seemed to smile with her. The sun was brighter, the world was louder, colours were more vibrant. At least in Harriet's mind. When she smiled sadly like this.... it felt hollow. Harriet knew that Camilla was a strong, independent person, and that her worries were usually her own. Unfortunately for her, Harrier was used to looking after people and she wasn't going to let someone else suffer when she could do something about it. still her friend let her in.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." She said quietly. Of course the blonde's concerns had been quite reasonable. Harriet was a rising star in the quidditch world. The idea that Rita Skeeter or some similar acid-quilled 'writer' would have the chance to latch on to a funeral all because of Harriet's presence was another reason to avoid the place. She had even made most of this trip sticking to muggle areas. It simply wasn't worth the trouble to have people wondering what she was doing visiting someone else with flowers and chocolates in hand.

Harriet didn't ask permission to levitate an empty vase over to the coffee table, fill it up with water and deposit the flowers she had bought into it, or to sit down beside her friend, and deposit the box of chocolates into her lap. She simply looked awkwardly at the other woman for a moment, the air of silence and sadness between them growing thick, Harriet felt the need to cut through it, to help set the other woman's mind at ease, but what was there to say when someone else was mourning a loved one you had never known? She did know something though. This man had practically raised Camilla, he had loved her, he had encouraged her. Given the other's sweet, caring nature, Harriet was sure he would have hated to see her suffering.

"I know it probably doesn't mean much, but your grandfather had a long life, and I bet he touched the hearts of just about everyone who met him, if he was anything like you. I know it's hard, but I don't think He'd want you to be miserable." Harriet said, and without another word she pulled her friend into a quiet hug. That hug promised comfort. It promised support no matter what, and as Harriet held Camilla, she resented the idea that she would ever have to let go. This girl had helped her when her brother was hurt. She had been her rock, her confidante when Harriet's new found celebrity status was too much for her, and Harriet was beginning to realise what that made her feel.

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

Feelings were a whole different tale in this love story that Camilla felt stuck in. The idea of being in love with a celebrity was something every girl would laugh about yet hide posters in their own bedrooms. Camilla saved Harriet's brother with luck and much confidence but when it came to talking about her feelings, it wasn't that easy.

Camilla shook her head gently, her blonde hair stroking her cheeks. "Don't worry about it please, I know you don't have it easy." she spoke in a soft but caring tone. The flowers looked very lovely and Camilla smiled at the chocolates on her lap.

"Thank you for this." she didn't expect it, she hardly ever saw things coming. Camilla listened to Harriet speak, her head nodding slowly. "That's really sweet of you.. I needed that." Camilla eyed her with a slight shy smile. "Can I get you a drink?"

word count ● harriet jones ● notes

[harriet jones]

Harriet latched on to the fact she was being called sweet. it made her grin. The first genuinely happy, playful smile of the day, and she gave a light chuckle. "Don't go telling anyone else you said that. I don't want to seem too cuddly when I'm playing against the Wilburn Wasps on Saturday." she joked to her friend. Hoping to break the oppressive feeling that the other's sorrow had cast over the whole place. Harriet heard her friend's offer and nodded slowly. "I wouldn't say no to some tea, but I can get it if you like? Want a refill yourself?" She offered, gently. Of course she knew that she personally would feel ridiculous if she was to sit on a couch while someone else pottered around her own home doing things for her, so she wouldn't press the issue.

Harriet kept an eye on Cam reflecting on everything she had ever known about this woman, and herself. Reflecting on how strong she was to be doing this well so soon. Harriet thought about her own true father figure. Not the man who had abused her siblings. But her oldest brother Ty. If Harriet had lost him, it would have broken her in a very real way. she wouldn't be so functional as Cam so soon after the fact. Camilla was made of stronger stuff in some ways. She might not have been a confident leader like Harriet, but she was no stranger to adversity. She had seen suffering in the world and corrected it, and so she must have known how to handle tragedy far better than Harriet could have. It was well and good to tell someone else not to be miserable, but Harriet couldn't have followed her own advice there.

That small, shy smile Camilla gave now. That was the one that made the sun's job that much easier. Harriet couldn't help but silently smile back. The urge to kiss her friend was there now. Would it be strange? Would it corrupt the purpose of her visit, to help? Harriet wasn't sure just how vulnerable Cam was right now, and it caused her to hesitate, even as her own desires became clear. Something Harriet very rarely did.

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

There was a strange feeling in Camilla's stomach. A feeling she could only describe as butterflies, feeling like her heart would beat out of her chest with every smile Harriet gave her. Camilla could feel her skin heating up by a simple touch and it sometimes was too much to handle. It was when her cheek flushed red and a slight smile appeared on her lips, the little things mattered.

Camilla tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she got on her feet. "Please don't worry. You're a guest in my little home." Camilla headed for the kitchen, her blush not seeming to leave her cheeks. Her bright blue eyes were on the water boiling, her hands playing with the material of her sweater.

Camilla lived quite the muggle life in a muggle neighborhood and hardly ever using magic aside from work. "H-How is your brother?" she asked, cocking her head a bit to look at her crush.

word count ● harriet jones ● notes

[harriet jones]

Harriet's eyes followed the metamorphmagus. She had noticed that blush. Harriet was a pretty empathetic young woman. She needed to be. Knowing when her father was angry, or when her brother, or sister were hiding some new injury was very important, so naturally she had picked up quite a talent for faces. Though as she watched the other woman set about the simple task of making tea, Harriet had to come to terms with the fact it wasn't only this beautiful young lady's face that was lovely. Harriet had seen Camilla's appearance change a few times but she was never anything short of beautiful, inside and out. Right now her lovely body had Harriet's attention.

Soon, though the woman's words caught her and bought her back to the conversation. She nodded gently. "Ty's good... Unfortunately I think he's just... Used to it all by this point." Her older brother was so strong. He had been abused he had lost a foot to the same incident that saw him turned into a werewolf, and yet he was still going. Still working hard, probably often demeaning jobs. Sometimes it was all Harriet could do to slow him down. She had to look up to her older brother for that reason. "At least, he says he's good, and he's still going strong." she corrected.

Watching the other fidget with her sweater, Harriet wondered. Was it okay to make a move? There was something here. There always had been but she hadn't acted, and now seemed an awkward time for that... At the same time, though, maybe it was just what Cam needed. To know that she was loved, and appreciated, whether her grandfather could be there or not. Harriet made a snap decision. she walked, confidently, with all the poise of the athlete she was and sidled up beside the woman's he had been falling for for a long time now.

"I think the tea can wait." She said gently and leaned in, following instinct her lips locked with the Hufflepuff alumna's. There was a long moment there, where Harriet's mind was all but empty aside from just warmth and happiness. She hoped that it was the same for Cam...

When Harriet finally pulled away, she didn't know what to say and so she just looked down for a moment, blushing as brightly as Camilla had been before the kiss.

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

The smell of warmth coming from the tea kettle comforted Camilla a little. The warmth was different than the warmth radiating from Harriet whenever she was close. For a long time Harriet was a friend, a person that Camilla tried to comfort.

Now Harriet was the woman Camilla wanted to be close to, to hold close and not let go until Harriet asked her to. Camilla listened closely to Harriet and knew that her brother went through a lot. She had tried to save him, tried to help him.

"Glad to hear that." Camilla was about to grab the whistling kettle but instead she felt lips touching her own. The warmth she felt radiating through her own body now. A part of Camilla tried not to lose her mind, tried not to scream that Harriet was actually kissing her.

Camilla hummed happily, maybe some people could see this as taking advantage of a bad situation but Camilla loved it. "It's okay." Camilla had her bright blue eyes on Harriet who seemed to feel slightly ashamed.

word count ● harriet jones ● notes

[harriet jones]

That confirmation was all Harriet needed to hear. As soon as she knew she hadn't rushed in and hurt Camilla she reached out and took the other's hand, grinning broadly now, she looked up, meeting the other woman's blue eyes. Taking them in. There was such warmth in those eyes, such kindness and such love. It was a corny thing and if Harriet had thought about what was happening she would have laughed but she felt herself get a little lost in those eyes for a moment, just taking them in. Slowly her hand ran over the young blonde's cheek and one kiss became two. All without another word until finally Harriet's lips parted from Cam's again, and she managed a simple sentence. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

It was true.  She had wanted to do that for ages. she'd begun to feel the urge while her brother was still in hospital receiving Careful treatment from Camilla, and the healer who had been training her. She never thought however that it would happen. She didn't come here with a kiss in mind. She didn't see her crying friend as an opportunity. She had just done what felt right in the moment, and she couldn't and wouldn't take it back now. She didn't know what this would mean for the two of them, but she was pretty sure she was ready for whatever came her way in this uncharted territory.

Her hand dropped from the other's cheek and now all eight of Harriet's fingers, and her thumbs found themselves interlaced with Cam's, as she just took in what was happening. Her heart was racing her head was singing. She'd done it! She'd kissed the girl, and she hadn't been rejected. She just looked down at their fingers, and back up to Camilla's beautiful eyes.

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

A first kiss became a second kiss and for that moment Camilla fell even more in love. She loved the feeling of their lips meeting and the warmth spreading inside of her. Camilla's thumbs stroked the back of Harriet's hand. "I guess no tea then." not that she minded. This made her happy.

There wasn't any amount of happiness Camilla could express without kissing Harriet again. She was happy, Harriet made her smile return when there was none to be found.

word count ● harriet jones ● notes

[harriet jones]

It felt natural, this was pretty much how Harriet had dreamed about it going. Cam's almost casual acceptance, that Harriet was sure was masking a deeper excitement, just the same as her own was. Feeling the other girl's fingers between her own, seeing the look on her face. That admittance that they had both wanted this for so long. Harriet had hoped it might be a mutual feeling but she had always tempered that hope. Now though this was all she had ever dared to hope for and more, She watched the other's pretty face for a moment. and gave a little laugh when she suggested giving tea a miss.

"Not right now." The professional Beater grinned to this woman... "We could have tea." She beamed, brightly. "Or I could take you out in the rain and we could dance."  It was a joke but she didn't hate the idea, even if someone was keeping an eye on her, it wasn't as if Harriet was closeted. She hadn't been for years, and honestly she wanted to be seen with Cam. She wasn't ever going to hide whatever this was, unless Camilla wanted that. "Or." She said with a slightly more serious tone to her voice - though honestly she had no preference. "We could have a serious conversation about our relationship." Harriet was much more the type to just see how things went usually, but she knew that at some point they'd need to figure out what all of this was.

Almost reluctantly Harriet let go of the other's hands, hesitating for a moment before she took a step back and leaned gently against the wall of Cam's kitchen, simply looking her over with big, warm, loving eyes.

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

In dreams people picture either the best moments of their lives, the strangest moments of their lives or their worst. This was definitely one of the best moments though pictured differently. Camilla didn’t mind not having tea, the tea was just a simple excuse to do something when one didn’t know what to do else. She listened to the things Harriet wanted to do and though the talking was something Camilla would gladly do, she wouldn’t want to right now.

“How about we dance?” Camilla motioned to the door as she slowly headed into that very direction. Dancing was Camilla’s favorite thing when she was not working. She was not a professional and she probably is very bad at it. “Maybe talk while dancing.” A playful expression appeared on Camilla’s pale features.

As a metamorphmagus people would think less of her but she never really changed things about herself other than her hair. During cold days it was usually black but the silver blonde look worked fine for now. Camilla was very cautious and self-aware with her abilities. The last thing she wanted was being thrown in prison or get tortured.

With a smile on her pale face but yet pink lips she headed into the rain.

word count ● harriet jones ● notes

[harriet jones]

"Dancing it is." Harriet, the suave butch lady that she was playfully offered her arm to Camilla. She had never actually been much of a dancer herself, She was graceful in the air but on the ground, well, she could probably manage a simple two step, and twirl with her newly-admitted love in the rain. but she didn't trust herself with much more than that. Still, dancing was fun if nothing else and Cam seemed eager. What more could Harriet want than that? If she were to counter blessing just now, Harriet felt as though she would have lost count long before seeing the end of them. Not only had she made it pro in quidditch, her home life had been quieter and happier than usual and now here she was stepping out into the rain with Camilla. There was something about this girl that just mesmerised Harriet, and now she would experience that in a whole new way.

Almost as though it sensed their presence, the rain intensified cascading down over the two women's heads with her beaming smile and soaking face, Harriet could have been confused for crying tears of joy, as she grinned to Camilla, speaking a little louder over the rain. "I guess this is a fast song." She said of the increasing tempo of the storm. She took the other's hand, pulled her in close by the hip, and began to move. Her strength was evident, her grace... lacking, but made up for by her enthusiasm and eagerness to spend as much happy time as she could with this lovely woman.

"So, what do you think this is?" She asked, her tone was inquisitorial more than anything Harriet was hesitating. Wanting to say three short words, but the last thing she wanted was to ruin this before it had even really began by moving too fast... To her reckoning she had waited yearsm, but of course Cam wasn't to know that.

[camilla evans - jones]

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

Camilla felt the raindrops touch her face and soon her sweater felt completely soaked. Her bright blue eyes were shining even when she could barely see Harriet through the raindrops making her eyelashes stick. For a moment where nothing else mattered but the two females dancing everything seemed at peace. There was no war, there was nothing to worry about, there was just them.

Camilla was drawn closer to the person holding not just her body but her heart. "It's good." Camilla wondered how else to describe it. Camilla had her eyes on Harriete the entire time. Her heart skipping a beat every time she heard her voice.

"What do you want it to be?"

word count ● harriet jones ● notes