When the Sky Falls Down

It could have been any other day, just another one to trudge through on the way through life's twists and turns but it wasn't. For James, this was most definitely not a normal sort of day.

For a start, there'd been eggs for breakfast, and although to any ordinary person this might not seem to fall into the category of not being normal, for James Potter this was a decidedly strange. Secondly, and perhaps not quite as strange as the eggs, Lily had told him she had a surprise. Just what that surprise was, James was loath to ask. Anything unexpected from Lily was always received with wariness; she had the uncanny ability of always managing to pick out the fiercest living (and even non-living) presents no matter the occasion. The third and last example of the strangeness of the day was the Astronomy class that had resulted in the question that had nagged at him for the rest of the day – What would you do if the sky began to fall down around you?

"Alright, alright, calm down you lot," the professor all but screamed. Gradually, in response the class of excited pupils began to quieten. "Take out your books, carry on from last time."
This he said when he was sure he had the attention of the whole room. A chorus of groans followed the announcement and on a whim, the Professor decided throw his lesson plans out the window (not literally of course, because then he'd have to call them back.)
"Actually no, put your books away class, I have another idea."
Slowly, they began doing as he said, not without many a confused glances thrown around the room at each other.
"Today," he said, "I'm going to ask you two questions which by next week I expect you to have answered in an essay. Firstly: Is it possible for the sky to fall down? And secondly," he paused for effect, "If it did, what would you do?"

At his desk, James like everyone around him was confused. Suddenly, it seemed, the lesson had abruptly changed from the threat of memorising constellations to theoretical questions based on personal opinion. Not that he was complaining, mind, it was just that in an already suspiciously strange day this new event seemed to stand out as just well, weird. Next to him, Sirius had already begun to pack up; apparently he'd decided the essay could wait. To his left, Remus appeared to be daydreaming. Shrugging, James decided to follow their lead; after all he was pretty tired from a late night the day before. He also had that Potions homework that was due in, in about 40 minutes.......

By the end of Potions class though, James still could not rid himself of the question. It seemed to be dancing around his head and already he'd narrowly avoided a detention for daydreaming. As they'd lounged around in the Gryffindor common room, James had decided to ask Sirius what he thought of the question.

"Hey Sirius?"
Sirius glanced over to where James sat slumped in one of the room's comfy chairs, a position that almost mirrored his own.
"Yea?" He replied.
"What would you do?"
Sirius grinned. "You do realise that though my powers are great and magnificent and are far superior to yours I actually can't read your mind, don't you?"
"Ha, ha," James retorted. "Besides O mighty one, I beat you in that duel last week did I not? What I meant," he clarified, "was what would you do if the sky were to fall down?"
"Oh that Astronomy thing," Sirius snorted derisively, "And I let you beat me," he corrected, "It's my duty as your friend to give you at least one thing to be proud of."
"Really," James raised his eyebrow, "Because I thought you were genuinely crying for mercy."
"Shut up." Sirius muttered, his face darkening considerably.
James grinned. "So," he prodded, "what would you do?"
Whether Sirius was stubbornly ignoring him or in fact deep in thought, James had been unable to figure out, but either way, it was a few minutes before Sirius had answered him.
"I," he declared, "would disapparate myself from wherever it was falling down, and apparate somewhere else away from where it was falling."
"But wouldn't it be falling there too?" James questioned.
"Where?" Sirius asked confused.
"Wherever you went. Surely if the sky was falling down it would be falling down there too."
"Why would that be?" Sirius replied, "It's like a jigsaw. Just because you take out one piece doesn't mean the rest will break up too."
"Right....." James, somehow, was even more confused than he had been before.
"Besides," Sirius had added later that afternoon in another class, "If the sky ever does fall down at least the pieces will be small."
"Why's that?" James had asked.
Sirius had looked at him like it was quite possibly the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.
"Because a lot of it would get stuck in the clouds," he replied, "Obviously."

That night at dinner, James had barely touched his food when Remus rushed in late and threw himself into the seat next to James. The sound of hundreds of forks clattering on plates echoed throughout the great hall, the pauses in the rhythm heralding his arrival. Wherever he went, Remus was accustomed to such pauses in activity and James secretly believed he revelled in them.
"Oh jeez, that Astronomy essay was harder than I thought." He gasped. "I had to run here from the common room tower because it took me so long."
"Why'd you do it so soon?" James asked puzzled, then more suspiciously. "What'd you do?"
"Oh it was nothing," Remus answered dismissively. "Just a funny joke that wasn't so funny to the Professor when I blew up her plants in Horticulture."
"Ha, I heard about that," Sirius joined in. "Nice work," he grinned appreciatively.
"Yea, I thought so too," Peter Pettigrew called out across the table, "It's a shame other people couldn't see it that way."
"That still doesn't explain why you were in the common room hurrying to finish an essay that isn't due until next week," James reminded Remus.
"Ah," Remus sighed, "that is because I have been given the charge of growing back every one of the plants I blew up." He grimaced. "By hand."
"I heard it was every weekend until April," Peter claimed.
Sirius, not to be outdone declared, "I heard it was until next Christmas."
"April," Peter countered.
"Christmas," Sirius yelled back.
Quickly turning back to Remus, James tuned out of the debate that was quickly turning into a full blown argument.
"So, what'd you write for your essay?"
Remus grinned, "I took a leaf out of Sirius's book. Except I would go underground, you know make a den or something."
"Oh, I thought you said it was hard to write," James replied disappointed.
"What were you expecting?" Remus exclaimed "The sky to fall down? It was hard, ok? You try finding 1000 words to write about finding somewhere to stay out of the way."
Casting his eyes down the table, James caught Lily's eye. After a moment, she made her way up the table, slipping into the only available place next to Sirius who was now glaring surreptitiously at Peter. Lily in turn glared at Remus.
"That display in Horticulture wasn't funny," she sniffed, "just so you know."
James grinned at Remus' scowl.
"I hope you haven't forgotten about tonight," Lily turned on James.
For a second his brain froze. Tonight? What was tonight?
"No, of course not," he said in a way he hoped resembled smooth and convincing. What he didn't need right now was Lily annoyed at him.
"Good," Lily replied breezily. "I'll see you later then."
"Whew," Remus remarked once she'd left. "That girl really knows how to make you feel uncomfortable about something." Then he laughed. "You've forgotten haven't you?"
James' mind still refused to run. Something about the day was really screwing with his mind, and that ever present question in his mind wasn't exactly helping matters. He frowned in concentration though; this was something he could not afford to get wrong. Slowly, the others began to leave, and to his dismay he was no closer to an answer than he had been 10 minutes ago. He just couldn't remember. It wasn't until Sirius nudged him saying Whomping Willow and 6:30 that James remembered: his present.

The air was surprisingly cool, for such an early time as James made his way to the area surrounding the Whomping Willow. He was certain (or at least anxiously hoping) that Lily's meeting place was a safe distance from the tree. As he crested the hill, he saw her. Her flowing hair was being teased by the wind as she sat hunched over what appeared to be a rather small parcel. He hesitated, was it moving? Putting terrible images out of his mind, James pressed onwards. Lily glanced up as he approached, a smile lighting her face.
"Hi."
"Hi," James replied as he sat down next to her, his eyes still glancing warily at the package every so often.
Lily laughed. "I'll put you out of your misery shall I?"
James grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut briefly as he said, "Yeah, o...ok."
Grinning, Lily handed him the squirming package. "Don't look so tense, you're gonna love it."
"Yea......" James replied not half as convinced as he evidently should be. Delicately, and with a hand that was almost shaking he ripped off the paper.
"It..it's a book," he said both surprised and quietly relieved.
"Told you'd like it," Lily smirked as James examined it. "It's not as scary as a present from me seems to be to you now is it?"
"No, no," James replied, quickly adding "Not that there's anything wrong with your presents, they're uh..... Interesting."
"Yea....right," Lily said sounding slightly disbelieving as she leaned against him.
"It's nice isn't it?" she gestured to the view in front of them.
"Yea," James stretched out on his back, Lily doing the same next to him.
Together they laid back, staring up at the darkening sky. After a while James spoke.
"What would you do?" And this time he didn't need to explain himself.
"I don't know," Lily replied, considering. "I don't think there is anything we could do."
"So, you wouldn't move places like Sirius or hide like Remus?" James queried.
Lily shrugged. "I don't think we can know what we'd do until we're actually put in the situation of having to do something." After a moment she said "What about you, what would you do?"
James thought, searching for an answer to the question that had been plaguing him all day.
"I think you're right," he said after a moment.
"Of course," Lily smirked, "I'm always right, don't you know that by now?"
"I do know one thing though," James replied.
"What's that?"
"Wherever I am if the sky does fall down, I want you to be there too." he said softly. Then he grinned, "As long as the presents don't get to come too that is."
Lily hit him gently. "There's nothing wrong with my presents. You said so yourself."
"Yea...."James mumbled, and this time it was he who sounded disbelieving.

What'd you think? Review please!!!!!!!!!!!

xxReturntothedarklandsxxxx