I'm doing some writing exercises in which I randomly generate numbers from lists of fandoms and characters! This is going to be my Harry Potter set, and I'll have others, too. I'll update each fandom when I can. After picking a fandom and character, I go into my itunes shuffle and get inspiration from songs!

HP, Harry, Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper

Harry sat in the dark, sweating from anxiety. He did not move from his vigil on the bed. Hedwig was out. The silence and stillness was near complete on that hot summer night. The feeble chill of the air conditioner in his room barely made him shiver as it kissed his fevered skin.

The only light came from the street lamps and moon outside. They filtered through the small window and cast sad shadows from his books and meager furniture. It also lit upon the only source of movement in the entire house.

Harry's green eyes slid, unblinking, to the picture on his night stand. His parents smiled at him and waved as cherry blossoms cascaded around them.

They didn't seem to process their son's distress.

Harry swallowed and wished he had legitimate portraits of his parents. The paintings at Hogwarts talked to him all the time. They could move around and talk to each other. They could run errands.

But his parents just danced.

"I've been expelled," he whispered to his twirling mother and father.

The spinning and laughter did not stop.

He closed his eyes, willing them to acknowledge his fear.

Expelled.

It was surreal.

Harry opened his eyes and looked at his parents. He watched them touch their foreheads together; his mother's eyes crinkling in happiness, his father watching her with supreme adoration…

They spun once more, and this time, Lily lost her balance and started to tumble.

Harry peered closer, intrigued at this new motion. He watched a surprised look cross her face as her feet twisted around each other and she fell sideways.

James caught her to him.

Both were laughing even harder now while Lily buried her face in her husband's neck and hugged him. Harry felt a small smile tug at his own lips.

His parents settled down from their fit of giggles and sighed. Each had an arm wrapped around the waist of the other. They both seemed to look upward and outward of the photo and frame, right at Harry. Harry's heart barely stirred, though. They weren't seeing him…

But then Lily smiled gently and her eyes seemed not to go through him, but instead seemed to settle on him. She drew a finger to her mouth, as if telling him to listen.

A thud erupted from downstairs.