catch and release! , open.

[dana1]

The walk to the cave was short when he was alone, but now, the journey to the small cave on top of the hill seemed to drag on forever. James kept his hands in his pockets, fiddling with his wand and other possessions that he’d stashed into those pockets at one time or another. Normally, the seventh year had no trouble carrying a conversation; in fact, others usually had to tell him to stop when he was talking their ear off too often. (He supposed it was a family trait that had somehow skipped Al and went straight to Lily.) However, now, the quietness seemed to invade his mind and quell his tongue, and James seemed to be just as content to remain silent as he would have ordinarily to talk. Perhaps a bit of Katniss was rubbing off on him. The thought slipped into his mind and danced there for a moment before James shoved it back into the ever-crowding recesses of his mind. It was meant for another time, but at the rate those kinds of thoughts were piling up, James would have to face them sooner than he might’ve liked.

She broke the silence, and James glanced at her and laughed, his cheeks stretching uncomfortably against the cold. He relished the numbness; although James was hot-tempered, he much preferred the cold weather-wise. It made for a better balance between his outer and inner body. “No, Nissy,” he told her playfully, drawing out her nickname since she seemed to have earned the right to be called it. After all, James would have done the same in her situation, and even James couldn’t deny that he was no more mature than a five year old. He chuckled a little at her yawn; he never thought he’d call Katniss adorable – sexy, yes, intriguing, yes, but adorable? – but the small yawn couldn’t be called anything else. “But we’re close.” He looked pointedly to the horizon; the familiar sight of the craggy rocks jutted out against the gray-blue of the autumn sky. Then, James took a sharp turn off the beaten path toward where he knew the easiest path to the top lay.

He’d been in third year when he first stumbled across this path. It had been before he’d even looked at girls in more than just a platonic way, and James smiled fondly, remembering how foolish his thirteen year old self had been. He was shorter than he was now – by far – and as James ducked underneath a brush, the very top of his head scraped along the twigs. Even then, he’d had to hunch over to escape the brush unscathed; now, he had to almost crawl on all fours, and still, his hair became ensnarled in the branches and twigs that made going through this treacherous path annoying. He finally reached the end and straightened, running his hands through his hair, attempting to rid his hair of all the leaves and twigs it had accumulated. It wasn’t a very practical way of getting through – James touched the wand in his pocket ruefully – but magic left traces, and he wasn’t ready to give up the secret of the cave so easily, even if it was a childish thought.

“We’re going to climb here,” he explained to her, pointing up the gentler slope to the top of the cave. “It’s a little rocky, but I’m sure you’re more than capable of making it up.” He grinned cheekily at her and offered his hand, more as a challenge than anything really; James didn’t really expect her to take his rather chauvinistic offer to help her up. The path wasn’t that treacherous, but it was an obstacle that, when challenged, made James think more carefully about where to put his feet. Perhaps it was unfair of James to put their challenge to where he had an advantage, but… All’s fair in love and war, James thought with a smirk.

[lookjedi]

This was not something that she had planned, not something she had planned at all. She didn’t think that this was all there was to be had, but that was a little foolish of her wasn’t it. James wasn’t exactly known for his using his head and she was giving him too much credit again. It was such a silly think to do and think about but there was nothing else that could be said about it. Her mind was even starting to numb around him, slowing slightly as she looked up at him, watching him as they moved through the small village out onto the edge of it. She was curious to know where he was taking her, and for the moment she though that it was more of an adventure game if anything. They were going to hike up the mountain side and be somewhere else in a bit – oh that was a laugh, but it seemed like the case right now. Katniss had heard that there were caves and the like around the area, easy places for people to hide when they didn’t want to be found but, this was a little silly. Just what was he intending to do? She hopped that he wasn’t going to try his hand at his library techniques again. He had been so close to found out then, and, well she didn’t want this little game to end just yet.

This was probably the only game that was actually quite amusing to her at the moment. It was about all that she could do to stop herself from getting up and walking away from the childish boy already. “Oh… okay.” she mumbled, nearly sheepishly, back to him, still annoyed by the name, but she didn’t glare at him this time. She deserved it that time, and she wasn’t going to protest about something that she deserved if only half-hearted. Even so, Katniss thought of herself as a mature person on occasion, with a few slips in between. She was always so serious, or at least she tried to be around the people that she wasn’t exactly comfortable with. Looking forward, up at the area he pointed out she furrowed her brow. It couldn’t have been very far but the walk seemed a little bit much for whatever they were going to do. It wasn’t something that she was often bothered with but it was just a little bit out of the way.

Following the teen, she found herself thinking for a time about what happened between them over the years. It was strange thing to think about. She never really thought that James was much more than his namesake as a child, she didn’t really care about his family that much though. Sure he was the son of Harry Potter, but if she was anyone to talk, she knew that parent didn’t always make you who you are. Katniss wasn’t anything like her parents even though they seemed to influence her in some ways; it was just something that she came upon on her own. She had fashioned herself this way because she though it more appropriate. Reason said that she should have been like this because of everything that happened to her as a child – constantly giving into moments that bring her down. Over the years she seemed to grow fonder of him if only because he was a sheer annoyance. In some ways she felt superior to him and that was why she didn’t bother to talk to him or agree to anything that he had ever proposed but this year, it was different. Shifting through the brush with him was different as well, seeing as how she noticed how much they had grown over the years, if only physically. Whereas James had to duck and shift the branches around, Katniss was granted safe passage through the area.

“Climbing? I thought this was something else James, not expedition. I’m not exactly the best expedition partner.” Katniss looked up at him earnestly before inspecting the rocks and the path up. “I can make do.” she said, pulling her hands out of her pockets grudgingly. She could feel the cold seep deep into her skin as soon as she did so. Weighing out her options for a moment, she stared at his hand – there was probably a chance that she could have taken a wrong step if she forged head… falling back on him was not an option that she would have liked to present, however hilarious it might have been for him. “I thought you said it wasn’t far…” she muttered up at him, gently placing her hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze. Katniss allowed herself to break from character, not because she was frightened, but more so because she was curious and curiosity always killed the cat.

[dana1]

James felt odd when he looked at her. It was… well, it was different. For seven years, he’d been looking at her, but now, at the very cusp of diving into what looked like a black abyss of Katniss, James felt nervous at the prospect of actually seeing her. After all, this plan required total and utter immersion into Katniss (who was scary enough as is) but now, at the edge, James felt like stepping back onto solid ground. Was it always this scary trying to figure someone out? The only person he knew very well outside of his family was Tristan, and Tristan might as well be family anyway. Besides, their friendship had begun when they were much younger, and James’s memory barely stretched back a day, let alone seventeen years. But James steeled himself; it was now or never. The outcome of their little game depended on this one decision, and James took a deep breath and plunged metaphorically into the abyss.

“You aren’t regretting coming out here with me, are you?” he teased lightly, surprised but pleased at her grasp. It felt familiar, but that was to be expected, since he’d known her for just about as long as he’d been at Hogwarts. James had really anticipated her climbing up without his help and having to catch her once she fell for the deceptively smooth foot hold just in front of the entrance to the cave. It would’ve been quite a laugh, and James wondered briefly how her face would look in the moment of surprise, but alas, she’d chosen to take his hand. James couldn’t help but let a small smile slide across his face; it was a small gesture – something James should have laughed at – but it was a step in the right direction. When had he gotten so soft? He wondered briefly before he slipped in front of her, threading their hands together automatically for a better grip. “It isn’t far, Nissy. It’s right there.” He pointed upwards with his free hand and started up the path.

The path had not been carved by nature for two people to traverse while holding hands, that much was certain. At first, the rock cut had been easy enough; James knew what rocks to skirt and what paths would support their weight. However, as they trekked on, James was starting to realize that some maneuvering would have to be done with two hands, rather than one. Areas that should have been easy for them to take one at a time were difficult with both of them. Even though he thought that Katniss would recognize the need for a split, James rather loathed the idea of letting go of her hand. It was childish, but by Merlin’s beard, he’d waited long for this moment (had he really?) and he was going to milk every second of it!

But when had he been so eager to hold her hand? The thoughts that James had crammed into every nook and cranny of his mind suddenly burst out, emboldened by her touch and egged on by his confusion. The memories of their library escapade suddenly came out full blast and nearly sent him reeling. The blushing, the comfortableness, the intrigue, all of it had been triggered by a touch, and now James, who’d run from them for as long as possible, had to confront them. All of the questions that passed through his mind had a similar theme: Katniss.

He nearly groaned out loud at the thought and hastily grabbed a rock in an effort to make it look like he’d scraped his hand. (It would explain the rather comical pained expression on his face.) Was this really happening to him? James didn’t know what he felt worse about: the fact that it was happening, or the fact he knew it was, and still, he made no move to stop the questions from escaping their proper place. He wasn’t good with juggling those questions; James was more suited for captainship of the quidditch team, better off as the boy who didn’t bother with such trivial, womanly questions. Feelings? What were those? James told himself half-heartedly that he needed a lay – and fast – and while his body reacted accordingly to the thought, his mind simply was not in it. Damn her.

Finally, James had to let go of her hand to scale the last big rock that stood between them and the cave. He held it for as long as possible, but it was inevitable any other way. The winter air had been denied access to their palms for most of the trip, and as he took it away to meet cold rock and haul himself up, the cold bit sharply at his palm, telling him what it was he lacked.

“We’re here,” he said, face a little flushed with having to climb up the rocks. James pointed to the little opening of the cave. “C’mon. It’s bigger inside.” He shot her another cheeky grin before clambering to his feet and starting for the entrance.

[lookjedi]

All of this felt odd. Walking with him wasn’t something that happened very often, let alone holding his hand. It seemed out of place somehow as she looked up at him, unnerved by the whole situation but comfortable all the same. Maybe it was just the cold air getting to her or maybe it was the close proximity. She had had this feeling once before when they were in the library, it was so comfortable there as she leaned against him, complying with his whim, if only slightly. She really didn’t even mind the fact that he had pet her and played with her hair like anyone would a cat or a dog, it was just a comfort. It was that instant feel of skin against skin, and the warmth – that crumble of comfort that one would feel when they finally found a person say that they were here for them. Was that what she felt right at that moment? No, that couldn’t have been it. James was hardly there for her but she couldn’t help but keep a firm grip on his hand, nearly greedy in her holding of it. She didn’t like how the one action had turned into something more for her, something that she couldn’t explain even to her own abilities.

“Only if you give me a reason,” she snapped back in a playful manner. Katniss hardly regretted anything that she didn’t deal with right away so this was probably a good example of a case that seemed almost perfect. She wouldn’t regret going up on top of this stone face into a… cave… unless he gave her a reason to be that way, especially since he seemed so thrilled about prospect. It had to be something that was like that, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth either of their time. “… well that isn’t far at all, just a hop, skip and a hike.” she said, nodding towards him as he threaded their hands together. Giving a small smile back, she moved with him up the path.

She watched him carefully as they moved up the cliff face. As they moved she noticed that he was reluctant to let go of her hand, which made her suppress a giggle or two. It was a truth though, and she couldn’t exactly figure out why he wouldn’t. Could it be that he enjoyed holding her hand? No, that seemed unlikely but then again James was an unlikely person to begin with. Well, there was that and the fact that Katniss would have been lying if she said that she disliked holding his hand at all. She could feel his warmth creep into her skin. It was change in pace for her since her hands were usually always cold, even when she was inside – made her feel a bit like a vampire but she paid no mind to that. Even so, it wasn’t all that difficult to trek up the area, maybe a bit her and there bit that was only because James would not let go of her hand.

It was a curious thing but she kept herself occupied with thinking about the time that had elapsed, as well as what James was thinking at that very moment. Katniss believe that it really wasn’t much but it kept her mind busy and going as they moved along. It was something that kept he restless mind at ease and from opening all of the labelled boxes in her head. It was also about then that she began to question his motives. It was an honest question at first, seeing as how he said one thing and his actions were completely different now but there had to be something else, hadn’t there? Frowning slightly to herself, she pushed the thoughts aside. She didn’t know why she was even bothering with thinking about such things… it was just a game.

Her mind had quickly turned into a storm at sea because of him. Every little thought ran parallel to him and it was starting to anger her a little bit. Usually it was al pranks and mathematical equations in her mind, but not now. Now she was confronted with a giant anomaly and she hated those so much because she was pressured to solve them, the only problem was: How do you solve a problem like James Potter? The simple answer is that you don’t, but that wasn’t going to stand for Katniss, it never did… especially when feelings started to seep into the depths of it.

Looking up at the large rock, Katniss pursed her lips – not because it was a formidable rock or anything but because James had let go of her hand. The open air felt foreign now and not at all comfortable for her as she struggled to get herself up on and over the rock (because she was short). “So we are.” Katniss said, remaining mostly the same from when they were at the bottom. “… of course it is.” she furrowed her brows at the grin and the comment, moving towards the entrance herself, her mind still rolling around in thoughts. “So…why did you bring me up here? Have you the intention of killing me where no one will find me?” she looked at him, brow raised as she stretched the hand she gave him, in front of her. She couldn’t get rid of that feeling; all of them.

[dana1]

“Well, I better hope I don’t give you a reason to,” he said quite seriously, but his somber mask was shattered by the tiniest hint of a quirk in his lips. It was intentional; James was hardly pretending who he was, but after living as he did for so long, he knew what people expected him to be, and he knew how to affect that air. Was it lying to pretend to be who you actually were?

What James really hoped was that she didn’t see the small frown that pulled downward at his lips, or the slight shake his fingers had when they raked through his dark hair. It would just confuse her; hell, it even confused him, and he thought he knew his body better than anyone else. He’d grown up with it after all, and he’d tested it in some of the hardest and most pleasurable ways possible. This feeling was entirely alien, however, and James caught glimpses of several words that could potentially describe it, but they flitted away like birds as soon as he made a move toward them. It was frustrating for him; James thought he’d come to terms with his unending bachelorhood at fifteen (not that he’d minded at that age), but apparently, life and maturity were catching up to him quickly, not only in just the world around him – James didn’t fail to notice the disappearance of some of his fellow classmates, or the anxiousness displayed by his cousins – but within as well. The fifteen year old inside of James pulled backwards stubbornly, but he was no match for the force of time and (as painful as it was for James to admit) Katniss, both surging in the opposite direction.

“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” he told her archly, grinning despite his inner conflicts and chuckling a little at his own humor, however narcissistic that was. Here, away from wandering eyes, he thought he might see a change in Katniss. Perhaps even a weakness, he reasoned weakly, though if the journey had started out as simply a battle strategy, it had become something… not more, exactly, since James had had the stirring of interest ages ago, but intimate. He’d be asking her about herself, and he hoped that she might grant him answers that she would have never ordinarily given. The hope had been given room to grow as she extended a hand and James – probably misinterpreting but he’d never been one to really care for his mistakes – took it, his hand taking its familiar place around hers. The fifteen year old James was screaming again, that this wasn’t natural, that Katniss was just another opponent and what the fuck did he think was doing, but still, James walked onwards, shamelessly enjoying the feel of her hand in his.

Things had begun to fall from their disorganized positions in James’s mind; things that he’d stashed away came tumbling out of the drawers of his mind and burst open. Memories associated with this questioning feeling, memories James had forgotten he even had, started popping up in his conscious thought: his father, Teddy, a thousand faceless girls, a sweet kiss that he’d only half-heartedly reciprocated. They seemed to be on continual loop, and even when James blinked, they were there, imprinted on the back of his eyelids.

The cave passageway was narrow, but James had forgotten; after all, he’d never brought anyone else here before, not Audric, Monet, Tristan, not even his own siblings. As far as he was concerned, this was his mountain, somewhat of an inheritance gifted to him from his great-godfather. Just as Harry had gotten Grimmauld Place and Kreacher, James had gotten this cave. A bit of a rip-off, James sniffed, but he’d take it. Just knowing that this had been the ground that his namesake had walked on was good enough for the seventh year. James had always come alone, and the passageway had been wide enough for him to stride through with arms outstretched, but with Katniss, James felt unusually claustrophobic pressed up against the stone walls. The top of his head brushed the slanted stone ceiling and his shoulder occasionally snagged on some rocks jutting out from the main expanse of wall, so it was with a sigh of relief that James entered the main body of the cave.

He released her hand – he hadn’t realized how long he’d been holding it – and then pointed at several flat rocks. “Take a seat. That one there”—he pointed the furthest one from the entrance—“is the most comfortable, in my humble opinion.” James let a hint of irony seep through his words; he was anything but humble. “Ladies first.” A rare show of chivalry; James was channeling his inner Gryffindor more than usual, it seemed.

[lookjedi]

Katniss looked down, her lip quirking slightly at his words. It was a long time since she genuinely thought anything regarding James that wasn’t rather cruel and unusually, even for her. Surely he wouldn’t give her a reason to leave now; it would have seemed a bit uncommon if he did. It was true to say that Katniss, of all people, had her expectations of James, if only because she was harsh and judgmental. It was also because she never thought of James as more than a tool which was to be sure and it wasn’t an invalid statement either. It was simply the true and that was what she would stick with if anyone challenged her of thinking otherwise. Then again she couldn’t exactly deny that she was going through a personal crisis at the moment. There were a lot of things to be said the immediate happenings and they were very unsettling to her. She honestly wasn’t trying to pretend to be someone she wasn’t at that very moment and well, to be honest she was never that sort of person to begin with either. She was always true and upfront to everyone, well aside from herself but that was for other reasons entirely.

If there was one thing that Katniss simple was. It would be that she was a realist and she had no problem destroying other peoples’ dreams with a snap of her fingers. Dreams were always so brittle and fabricated beyond anything in the world. They were just fleeting emotions welled up into one perfect ideal thing that would never amount to anything real life. She had always thought about in the way that people needed to believe in things and that was all that anyone could ever think about in the end. Then again, that was because Katniss had no need for dreams of her own, she just tended to make up her mind on the go and stick with it. So long as she kept her mind to one thing for long enough, well she could do it. But there was always something that stood in her way when it came to things like that and this time it was the way that the seventeen year old before her was acting. He was acting so strangely and out of character that she just couldn’t figure it out and believe me, she was really trying to. In a world where she stood still and the world surged forward without her, she could see it all and that was what confused her the most about James; it was that she was standing still now as well, more so than had ever been before. But that thought quickly burst like all the other ones she had thought of as the two of them were together.

“Oh… but James,” the brunette let out another whine, far more drawn out this time. She hated the fact that he was holding out on her. It was something that she hated if only a little more than children. Katniss liked to know things and any time she didn’t it drove her crazy, crazier than a cat lady with forty cats, at the least. It was only when he took her hand that she looked up at him again, calming herself from her small outburst that often happened when she was with other people alone, but not like this, it was never like this because she didn’t let the Potter boy know her, not like the people that she actually talked with, no. The comfort of the hand felt so familiar and perfect – well, maybe not perfect but close – the way that her tiny hand fit into his. It was just something that seemed to feel right, it felt like this had happened countless times before and that, on its own seemed to warm her up again (despite how cold she felt).

It was a curious thing really; she was at a loss for words now, even though she disliked it. Katniss couldn’t think of a thing to say, even though she had, on occasion, opened her mouth to try and think of something to say. It can to no avail for her, so she just kept quiet for a while and followed.

Walking down the passageway, she stared at James the whole way, only turning away when she could see something out of the corner of her eye that was remotely dangerous to her being. She quickly adjusted like she always did. Yes, that was what she always did; she just adjusted and never really committed to anything. It was something that could not be changed about her, and maybe that was why she didn’t feel any sense of guilt when it came to things. It was really just the fact that she didn’t care but right now, in this moment with James she seemed to start caring about something but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She had known James for seven years and not for one second until now did she ever care about anything in his presents or in general. Sure, she would ‘care’ about things when they affected her in some way, like when she needed someone to do something for her, she would do what was in her best interest to fix whatever problem they had, but that wasn’t really caring, that was just manipulation.

At the realization that he had let go of her hand, Katniss bit her lip. It wasn’t an intentional act but it serviced its purpose holding back another one of her whines that wasn’t really welcome in this atmosphere. Instead, she pulled away from him moving towards the rocks that he had pointed out. “Right, so… now will you tell your brilliant plan James Potter?” she said, look around in the cave, not yet sitting down. “It took you such an effort to get me up and in here, but for what? If it is going to be a game of twenty questions, you’re going to have to make it worthwhile for me.” Katniss looked back at him with a smile on her lips, “Oh the ways you could make it worthwhile.”

[dana1]

“Using my full name.” James whistled lowly, his mouth turning up in a large grin. “You not knowing must really be pissing you off, Katniss Williams.” He’d used her full name in return, and even though James had never called her by her first and last name before, it slid as easily off his tongue as “Nissy” had. His grin widened. “A weakness, perhaps?” He put as much teasing into the question as he could, even going as far as affecting a goofy tone and arching a brow exaggeratedly. It was an obviously false statement; James didn’t know Katniss as well as he might’ve liked, but that particular quality of hers – the desire to know – was common amongst all Ravenclaws. It was one of the qualities that made it impossible for James to remain one step ahead of Katniss – especially since James was hardly a thinker – and he wanted to savor the advantage for as long as possible.

James was an understandably human boy; sure, a cave was not the most romantic of settings, but it was quiet and private, and he happened to be in the presence of an attractive girl he might actually l—well, regardless of what he felt, when James looked at her, standing in a bloody cave for Merlin’s sake, smiling at him, asking him to make the trip up to the cave “worthwhile”… it took all of his seventeen years to not succumb to what he would have ordinarily done; that is, made some crack about being alone and somehow finagling his way into her knickers. (In his perfect world, of course.) He tore his eyes away from her mouth and dragged them up to her eyes, setting his lips in a grin that matched her own. “That sounds like an invitation, Nissy,” he told her with a smirk, plopping down on a less comfortable rock (the least comfortable one, actually; James frowned at his luck) and sprawling out. James was horrified to find his muscles tense, obviously so in his exaggeratedly comfortable position, and he forced them to relax; what was he getting all riled up over? It was just Katniss. “Why don’t you tell me your ideas for ‘making it worthwhile’ and we’ll compare what we had in mind?” he suggested, a large grin splitting his face. Regardless of his intentions to grill her about her past – intentions that James fully planned on seeing through – the seventeen year old couldn’t deny that he was extremely interested in what went on in Katniss’s mind.

“Sit, sit,” he said, waving his arm nonchalantly at the stones. In all honesty, her towering over him was not a sight that James was accustomed with, but having already plopped down, he couldn’t very well get back up again, just to keep her beneath him (James’s inner pervert sniggered). “Really. Um.. my cave is your cave.” A wide grin split his face at the unmeant double entendre and he couldn’t help but snort a little. “Make yourself at home. This will take a while. But that’s just the way I like it.” He winked at her; this time, his deceptively innocent comment was intentional, and James relaxed a little more. This side of him, he was more familiar with, and that made him comfortable, and for James, who indulged himself frequently, comfortable was good.

From his sitting position, James allowed his gaze to flicker up and down Katniss. Her appearance was familiar to him – he’d seen her almost daily for seven years after all – but as of late, James had found himself more and more surprised by the girl. She hadn’t changed physically (well, she had. Puberty and all) but there was something… James frowned a little, tangling with the word at the back of his throat. He knew what it was, but the sounds weren’t forming properly in his mind; they were jumbled all over the place, like an unsolved jigsaw puzzle. James had never particularly liked jigsaw puzzles; they required too much thought and premeditation. If the first few tries yielded nothing, then he’d cast them away, unable to be bothered enough to sit there and solve some stupid picture. In the same way, after the first few, long seconds had ticked by and James was unable to come up with the word to describe exactly how Katniss had changed, he threw the idea away into the sea of his subconscious.

“All jokes aside, Nissy, you know me too well.” James laughed a little. “Twenty questions it is, though I plan to ask more than just twenty.” He shot her a crooked grin. “We already went through some of the basics, and I think already know a lot.” The grin widened. “Your parents, your best friend, your measurements…” He pretended to give her a glance over, as if James hadn’t already entertained the idea of her three numbers. “So let’s not waste any more time with review.” He ran over a quick list of questions he wanted to ask her. Unfortunately, some – What’s your favorite kinky position? for example – were irrelevant to the object of the competition, and James went through the list, discarding those that wouldn’t serve his purpose. “What is the thing that frightens you most?” It was a blunt question, aimed directly at finding her weakness and exploiting it. Other, cleverer strategists would have scornfully mocked James’s naivety in thinking she would answer, but James was never one for sly maneuvers. He preferred the headlong rush toward his opponent, and it was with this philosophy, he dove into the oncoming battle.

[lookjedi]

Letting out a brief breath, Katniss looked over to the annoying male, watching an all too familiar grin light up on his face. “Of course you did.” she said in a curt manner, turning away from him to walk a lazy circle around the inside of the cave – anything to get away from him for that moment. She felt she want to strangle him or something just then, though she believe that it was probably the ‘or something’ end of it. “It is no more a weakness than it is to anyone else.” she glances over to him, from her position across the room. She was trying to concentrate on the feel of the rocks and how they formed. As vexed as she was to not be able to know everything that passed as a thought in James’s head, she knew that she couldn’t know everything that seemed to happen. And she supposed that there wasn’t really a lot going on his head at the moment either, well nothing that she would be interested in anyway. Even so, she found herself in a place that he had taken her – it was quiet and secluded and everything about it scream dangerous to her, if only because of how this seemed to be set up. They were away from people and she supposed that he would try to draw her weakness out this way. At least he had the decency to save her the embarrassment? Or, no, actually it was probably so he could hang it over her head for a while. It didn’t really matter to her; embarrassment was something that she hardly felt.

“Oh, sweetie, you must be hearing things. It wasn’t an invitation at all.” she shook her head, settling on her feet in front of him again. Watching him sprawl out on the rock, she couldn’t help but feel a bit – sorry for him? No, probably not sorry, just something like sorry but not. She felt uncomfortable for him. Was he really getting so riled up now, of all times? It didn’t really seem like a good time to be so riled, especially since she hadn’t really purposefully done anything to provoke such action unless – no, that couldn’t be. No, Katniss shook her head again, ridding her mind of the thought that seemed to cross so quickly. “Sweetie, I’m sure that you could think of plenty of worthwhile things all on your own, why would you need to compare?” Katniss raised a brow looking at the large grin. He was such a pest and the only way of containing him at all was to give him some leeway, and this was the only way that she could think of at the moment, which was something, for sure but how long was that going to last before she got her head wrapped around something that she wasn’t really all that interested in, to begin with. The Ravenclaw had no intention f giving the boy the time of day, especially now since he had muddled her thoughts far beyond any repair that could be made at that very moment. “I’ll sit in a bit.” she nodded her head, still trying to figure out whatever was coursing through her own mind at the moment. She was agitated and sitting wasn’t going to last for very long. “I’m sure it will…” shaking her head again, she reached up her rub her temples, “Right.”

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her mind, even sitting on the ‘comfortable’ rock that James had pointed out. And it was comfortable, even for Katniss, would have rather sat on the floor. “I wouldn’t say that I know you too well,” Katniss licked her lips, “You’re just predictable.” she sighed rubbing her hands together for a moment. “… measurements?” She furrowed her brows, but decided to let that one go because it would just throw her mind into another fit of thought again and that wasn’t really desirable at this point. “There isn’t much to review as it is, Potter. You don’t really know that much about me,” It was true, he didn’t know the first thing about her aside from the surface information and she would rather keep it this way. She as completely fine with just moving the way that she did, putting up all of her walls for a reason, and James Potter running through all of those barriers was not appreciated or wanted. She just wanted him out already – she why was she sat here so desperate to let him in?

“Nothing scares me.” she answered him, “I never really found it logical to be scared of anything.” Katniss shrugged her small shoulders at him. The female wasn’t really sure what he wanted out of that answer, but it was honest… especially after the childhood that she had. "You never answered me before... with my question." Katniss had only remembered her last question now, knowing that she shrugged off his answer the first time -- and she had no intention of asking him again. "Here's a question for you, why are you so desperate to know about me? I mean, there must be another reason, aside from trying to find my weakness... because I can tell you now, my past isn't going to help you in that respect, at all."