Something's On My Mind

James nodded his head, "You can always tell me, when you're ready to." he said gently placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling gently.

"Yes, if not this summer, maybe next? Or there is always Christmas Holidays." he said shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever works for you." he said smiling at her.

James laughed loudly at the very irony of her words. "I agree." he said simply, still laughing.

James laughed when Casey hopped onto his back. Pushing through the doors, he walked into the school and said, "Where too, Miss?" in a posh accent.

Casey smiled up at him, putting her hand on top of his on her shoulder. "Thanks, and I will. One day. I just don't want to talk about it much more right now." Her lips quirked up gently and her eyes were sad.

Casey smiled. "Like I said, we'll make it work. Sometime during early summer will probably be the best, since I don't feel like waiting until next Christmas or summer."

Casey smiled and laughed with him.

Casey pointed a hand pompously over his shoulder. "Onwards, to the kitchens! I need a brownie! Away!!!!" She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck to stay on, careful not to choke him.

James nodded in understanding, and said no more on the topic.

"Aha. Alrighty, I'll have to ask my parents first, but they'll probably say yes. And same, I don't think I want to wait THAT long. I barely do anything over the summer to begin with so, it'll be a nice change to have something to look forward to." he said smiling happily.

James nodded and laughed as he made his way to the kitchens. As he walked he realized that he could use a snack as well, when his stomach growled at the thought of brownies. Walking for a little while longer, they finally reached the kitchens and when they did, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"We're here, Miss." he said turning his head up a little so he could see her.

Casey smiled. "Ok. Maybe you can owl them later? If I tell Mum, she'll be ok with any plan. She just likes that I have friends now that I can invite over." She held up the arm with the scar in explanation. "But how long did you want to stay?"

Casey smiled as she was carried to the kitchens, singing a little. She remembered Angel telling her to get over her fear of singing in front of people, so she sang a reeling Irish song she had always liked, called At the Ceili, grinning as she did.

Casey smiled and hopped off. "Thanks," she said patting James on the head. Grinning mischievously, she asked, "Should I get my steed a carrot, or would something sweeter be in order?" She asked a passing elf for a tray of brownies, weaving through the dinner crowd to the counter in the back where she usually sat. She hopped up, patting the seat next to her.

The elf walked over with the brownies, beaming. "Can Melive get Miss anything else?" Casey smiled down at the creature. "How about two servings of whatever dinner is?" "Right away Miss!" the elf squeaked happily, scurrying off.

Nodding, James replied, "Sure, I'll see what I can do. As for how long, it's really up to your parents." he said smiling. "I don't want to like intrude and stay all summer. Besides my parents won't let me stay somewhere for a WHOLE summer, you know?" he said chuckling.

"You have a lovely voice." James commented when he heard her singing a little in his ear.

"I would rather not be a horse, but thanks for offering." he said sticking his tongue out. "A sweeter treat, would be in order." he said smiling.

James hopped over to Casey and sat down next to her, taking a brownie from the tray. James sighed as the sweet, chocolatey taste overwhelmed him. Leaning farther back into the chair he put his feet up on the table in front of them.

"Ooo, I wonder what's for dinner..." he said thoughtfully, as he popped another brownie in his mouth.

Casey smiled. "Ok, how a out a week or so? If you get sick of me you can claim family emergency and leave early," she said teasingly. "But I'm sure that'll be ok with my parents, now we just have to ask yours."

Casey blushed, though he couldn't see it since she was behind him. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I don't usually sing around other people, but I've been trying. Performing in public, strangely enough, makes me nervous. It's the expectations I guess."

Casey laughed. "Fine, you won't be my pony then." She smiled at his face as he ate the brownie. "The house elves make the best food. But don't tell my mom I said that," she joked.

Casey sniffed the air. "Dunno, smells like chicken though." At that moment, Melvie and another elf hurried over, each with a plate of chicken with green beans, Italian bread, and applesauce. She grinned in triumph. "Who's got a good nose? Thanks Melvie!" She grabbed the plates, handing one to James and digging in herself.

"Sounds good! I'll send an owl to my parents later tomorrow." he said grinning widely. "Aha, I won't get sick of you." he said smiling.

Though James couldn't see her, he had a small feeling that she might have been blushing, but he didn't say anything, in fear that he would embarass her more. "I think you're great at singing." he said again.

James just laughed at her words. "They do! I love the food they make, it makes my mom's cooking seem...not bad, just not as good. But don't tell HER that." he said laughing.

James practically drooled when he smelled the chicken, and when he took a plate from Melvie he said, "Thanks a ton." Digging into his own food, as Casey dug into hers he groaned at the delicious taste of the chicken. "Amaaaaazzzzinnnggg." he said when he swallowed.

Casey beamed. "You do that, and we'll have our answer soon!" she chirped.

Casey's blush deepened. "Thanks. Like I said, I'm trying to get myself out there. Muggle music is the only part of their culture I'm actually familiar with, and that was an Irish song I like. It's called At the Céili, by Celtic Women."

Casey laughed with him. "Exactly. That's how I feel. And my lips are sealed." She made a motion like locking a key next to her mouth and throwing it away.

Casey grinned between bites. "Agreed. Oh my Godric, I love food so much!" She patted her flat belly and smiled. "Merlin bless my mother for passing down her ridiculous metabolism. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd be a hundred pounds heavier by now."

James smiled excitedly, and started to think of what to write to his parents.

"It's very pretty." James commented. It was, at least to him, even if others that might have heard her sing it, didn't like it, he did.

James chuckled and copied her actions. Then pretending not to be able to talk since he closed his mouth, he leaned over his seat and picked up an invisible key and unlocked his lips again, smiling at Casey. "Oops, I forgot, I need to talk."

"Same, I love food so much. I have a weird metabolism. It usually slows down over the Christmas Holidays, causing me to gain weight like crazy, then after the Holidays it becomes like insane! And I lose it all." he said frowning, feeling confused.

"Ah, well. I wouldn't care even if you were a hundred pounds heavier. I don't judge people for their weight, or anything like that." he said looking right into her eyes, as a sort of way to tell her, he liked her for her.

Casey smiled, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I've only sang in front of a few people before, but I'm getting there."

Casey laughd freely. "I guess it doesn't matter whether or not I lock my lips, my voice comes out anyway," she said teasingly. "I'm just loud like that."

Casey looked at him, a little confused. "Wow, that is weird. Mine is just high all the time." She played a little beat on her stomach, grinning.

Casey ducked her head, blushing. She looked up at him through her eyelashes a little shyly. "Thanks James. I'd like you no matter what you look like too." She smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder, still smiling.

James smiled at her as she rested her chin on him. "You certainly are." he said honestly.

"Hahah! Woot for loudness!" he said loudly holding his hand up for a high five, then laughing. "Ouuff. I love this thing called weird." he said sighing happily.

James chuckled as she tapped her stomach in some sort of beat.

Smiling, when she blushed, and then blushing himself when she said that, he nervously tapped his fingers on his lap. "I mean it, and thanks." he said smiling when she placed her head on his shoulder.

They sat for a moment, not saying anything, just enjoying each other's company.

Casey blushed ever redder at his compliment, but didn't say anything in reply.

Casey reached up, jumping a little in her seat to hit James's hand. "Stop being so much taller than me," she complained teasingly. "All my height is in my legs- sitting down this just isn't fair." She beamed. "Join the club, we have cookies!"

Casey smiled and enjoyed just being quiet with James for a minute. But, being her, she just couldn't stay quiet for very long. "I want to go to Rome someday," she said randomly.

James stuck out his tongue at her in a playful manner. "Too bad. Blame my dad, it's his fault for being so darn tall." he said laughing and smiling.

James put his hands in the air and waved them around. "WOOT! Cookies!" he said laughing still.

Tilting his head to the side, he imagined himself in what he thought Rome looked like. "That would be one place on my list of places I want to see before I die." he said smiling. "We should go someday." he said aloud. "To see Rome, and anywhere else we wanted to go." he said.

Casey smirked. "Don't stick that out unless you plan to use it," she said playfully, repeating the old taunt. "But I will, it's all his fault." She crossed her arms and huffed in fake annoyance.

Casey collapsed on the counter, laughing wildly. She layed down, fighting to breathe between laughs. "Your.... Face!" she gasped out. "It was... Hilarious!" She broke down laughing again.

Casey nodded. "That would be amazing." She imagined walking through Rome with James and smiled. She had a sudden thought. "We should do it Muggle style. A whole trip around Europe, the way they do it. It's not uncommon for witches and wizards to tour after school, before they settle down into jobs. We should do it."

James stuck out his tongue again, teasing her. "Aha, we can both blame my dad." he said smiling again. He could imagine the look on his father's face if he showed up one day with Casey and suddenly blaming him teasingly, for making James so tall.

James couldn't help but smile when Casey laughed, even if it was at him. As he listened to her laugh, he began to laugh too. "Are you ok?" he asked, still laughing and now crying at the same time.

James nodded smiling at the thought. "We should." he said agreeing. "No, we will. We shouldn't just "SHOULD" go, we WILL go." he said smiling.

Casey stuck her own tongue out. "Two can play," she said. She smiled. "Mutual blame agreement, yay!" She smiled at the mental image. "Would he roll with it, or just look at me like I'm insane?"

Casey nodded weakly. "Yeah..." she gasped out. "Can't. Breathe. Though!" She laughed some more, then took a few deep breaths in the attempt to calm herself down. "Ok, ok, I'm good now," she sat up, wiping laughter tears from her eyes. "Alright. I got this."

Casey beamed enthusiastically. "Yes! Oh my Godric, this is going to be so amazing! Rome, Paris, Dublin, London, the Alps... Everywhere! I won't even pack that much, I can't understand girls that take 3 or 4 suitcases." She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Weirdos."

James merely shrugged at her question. "He already knows I'm insane, so he wouldn't be surprised if I brought a fellow insane person. I mean that in a good way." he said smiling.

Still laughing, he leaned back in his seat and tried taking in some deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "Ahah! Wooo. You know they say laughing makes you live longer?" he said smiling at her.

"Ooo! We'll go everywhere!" he said clapping his hands excitedly. "Ahah, yeah I don't either. But I don't understand the guys that take like one pair of underwear and like a toothebrush and they think they're set." he said chuckling.

Casey nodded sagely at his reasoning. "Ok, sounds good. Same for my house." She grinned. "As if I'd ever take that as anything but a compliment!" she added with a chuckle.

Casey grinned. "Bet I'll live to be 150 then. I guess I'm a Healer too!" She smiled, laughing a bit more.

Casey smiled. "Yeah, I know some people like that. That's a bit drastic. But one good sized backpack ought to be enough. Then we'll always have all our stuff. I'll probably cheat a little and bring a bag with an undetectable extension charm on it though."

James grinned happily. "Aha. And I'm glad." he said.

Still smiling, as he had been for the last few hours or so, he said, "Ahaha. Wooooo! 150 for the win."

James jokingly clicked his tongue and waved his index finger. "No cheating." he said shaking his head. "But yeah, I think you might be right about that." he said regarding the backpack.

Casey grinned and stuck her tongue out. "I'll cheat if I wanna cheat, I'm a witch and I'm damn well gonna use my abilities!" she said dramatically. "Anyway, while I want to travel as light as possible, I still need a lot of stuff for an extended journey. It's slightly ridiculous."

James laughed and then stood up. "Fine if you're gonna cheat and use your abilities then I'm gonna use mine too." he said putting his hands on hips dramatically, then smiling down at Casey.

"Yeah true. Travel light and we can always buy what we need when we need stuff, right?" he said shrugging.

Casey grinned and stood up on the counter, propping her own hands on her hips. Now she was looking down on him. "Fine," she teased. "You do that. That's what they're for, aren't they?" She smiled big.

Casey blushed. "Well, you can buy what you need. I'll use what I have," she said. "I don't exactly have the extra to just buy stuff any time. It'll be a stretch just to go on the trip."

James looked up at Casey with a fake angry expression, and pouted. "Not fair, now you're taller than me." he said. Unable to hold his "angry" expression, he started to laugh.

James smiled when Casey's cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Yeah, I don't either, but I'm sure if we saved our money from now on, we would have enough to pay for the actualy trip then save some for extras." he suggested.

Casey grinned down at him. "Well now you know how the rest of us feel," she said lightly. She put her hands on his shoulders and jumped lightly down, using him to make sure she didn't fall over. Grinning, upwards now, she asked "There, all better?"

Casey nodded. "Yeah, I'll get as much as I can." She didn't tell him that with all the expenses around the house, there wasn't really anything for her to save. Her parents did their best, but the fact remained- the Donohoe family just didn't have much at all.

James just laughed and shook his head. When she jumped down, he carefully gripped her hips, helping her down. "Better." he said smiling.

James smiled back. "You know, if you ever need, and I don't want to say that you can't take care of yourself or anything, but if you ever need, you can always borrow some from me, I really don't mind at all." he said.

James's cheeks turned red again, as he felt embarassed. He really deeply hoped that he hadn't offended her. He wasn't assuming she had no money, he just thought that he sould offer, incase she ever needed some.