I wish I could just calm down...
I check my watch again...four minutes...and I wonder if I'll survive that long. The mirror in our Landing is going to curse at me, I'm sure; I've checked my reflection at least a dozen times...in the last two minutes. I sigh as I look down at my watch again and it says three minutes and forty-five seconds remaining until my planned departure time. If I don't stick to that time perfectly I'm positive I'll muck things up in the worst of ways.
As I wait I run things over in my head again: I sent the letter to Lily's parents three days ago, asking permission to take her out; I received their consenting reply two days ago with a few conditions, ones I am entirely ready to meet; I confirmed the time and that she was free yesterday; now I have only to follow through with it. I laugh nervously at that thought because it seems as if all the hard things have been accomplished.
One more glance at my watch tells me I have two more minutes to calm down, a very unlikely thing to happen. I stand in front of the mirror again, watching myself take deep, calming breaths. I have never before been this nervous, not for anything. I admit to being apprehensive when I took her to Hogsmeade but that is nothing compared to this. She doesn't even know I'm taking her out tonight! I hope her parents at least told her she was going somewhere tonight so she's prepared. What if she's not? What if she doesn't want to go with me? What an utter prat I'll look. These thoughts are doing nothing for my nerves and I have to tell myself to breathe again before I turn blue. I'm still in front of the mirror so I take advantage of it, telling myself and it that this will be the last time in case I over do it. My black shirt is pressed nicely and still very crisp for which I am thankful; it does not need to match my floppy hair. I've tried many different approaches to taming it, all futile, ending in either a disaster or doing nothing to the black mess at all. I've opted to leave it in its natural state of untidiness. I'm as ready to go as I think I ever will be. A last glance at my watch tells me I'm nearly 15 seconds late...
As I wait I run things over in my head again: I sent the letter to Lily's parents three days ago, asking permission to take her out; I received their consenting reply two days ago with a few conditions, ones I am entirely ready to meet; I confirmed the time and that she was free yesterday; now I have only to follow through with it. I laugh nervously at that thought because it seems as if all the hard things have been accomplished.
One more glance at my watch tells me I have two more minutes to calm down, a very unlikely thing to happen. I stand in front of the mirror again, watching myself take deep, calming breaths. I have never before been this nervous, not for anything. I admit to being apprehensive when I took her to Hogsmeade but that is nothing compared to this. She doesn't even know I'm taking her out tonight! I hope her parents at least told her she was going somewhere tonight so she's prepared. What if she's not? What if she doesn't want to go with me? What an utter prat I'll look. These thoughts are doing nothing for my nerves and I have to tell myself to breathe again before I turn blue. I'm still in front of the mirror so I take advantage of it, telling myself and it that this will be the last time in case I over do it. My black shirt is pressed nicely and still very crisp for which I am thankful; it does not need to match my floppy hair. I've tried many different approaches to taming it, all futile, ending in either a disaster or doing nothing to the black mess at all. I've opted to leave it in its natural state of untidiness. I'm as ready to go as I think I ever will be. A last glance at my watch tells me I'm nearly 15 seconds late...