Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. The use of its characters, locations and universe in general are merely a lend (thus the name fanfiction). I only own the original characters and the concept of the story.
A.N.: This idea came to me on Valentine's Day and wouldn't leave me alone, so I put myself down to write it. It's a few days late, but the setting being February 14 1978, that doesn't really matter. Despite its rather extensive length, I hope you can enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Featuring: Confused Lily, Shrewd Remus, Adorably Annoying Sirius, Friendly Peter, and Somewhat Subdued Yet Still Charming James. And Crazy Friends and the Barmy Staff of Hogwarts too, obviously.
Heartily Surprising
The notion that it was morning and that she had just woken up had come to her, and as she groaned softly into her pillow, Lily wished she'd remained asleep.
"Why?" She mouthed silently, turning to stare at the ceiling of her four-poster bed.
Her question, although a seemingly simple one, required much analysis and thought so she could obtain a satisfying answer. Lily contemplated between getting up and facing the day or staying in bed for a few more minutes and finding said answer.
As she chanced a small glance to her right through the red velvet hangings of her bed, the redhead decided she could easily blame the dark-haired girl in the bed next to hers for everything. After all, Marlene McKinnon had been involved in the whole thing the entire time. She knew it. She just needed the proof.
Lily could as easily blame Marlene's stupid boyfriend and her own stupid friend, Remus Lupin. After all, he had been the one to start the whole thing. "Why don't you just give him a chance, Lily," he would say in that adorable and sensible way. And as of late, she'd been heard cursing the day she decided to listen to the ex-prefect and his advices.
Of course, when it came to stupidity the Head Girl could always rely on blaming the big-headed git that was James Potter, esteemed Head Boy or not. The whole thing was completely his fault. As usual, the Marauder had managed to mess everything.
Sighing deeply, Lily came to the conclusion she had only herself to blame. After all, she had been the one to give James a chance.
Ever since the start of term when they started working together as Head Boy and Girl Lily had noticed the subtle changes in his behaviour. He was more serious, wasn't playing as many pranks as before (or at least wasn't getting caught), was working harder than ever and was generally treating everyone nicely. He was especially nice to her. But then again, he had always treated her with especial care. The difference now was that he had somehow learned to be pleasant about it.
She didn't know exactly how things had happened. Perhaps it had started with the incident in All Hollow's Eve when he'd saved her from a particularly dangerous prank from some vindictive Slytherins (never mind that it was actually some revenge on the Marauders that had somehow gone wrong). Or maybe it was later in Christmas when he'd given her that book she had been looking for ages and couldn't find anywhere (she suspected he had taken it from his family's personal library). She guessed, however, that it had been when she'd decided to spend New Year's Eve with Marlene, and consequently with the Marauders, seeing as Remus was her boyfriend and James was her childhood best-friend. They went out to a wizarding club in London called The Enchanted Snitch. She still didn't know how earth she ended up kissing James Potter at the stroke of midnight. And for the better part of the night afterwards.
When they returned to school, things were a little bit awkward. For some time he tried to reach her and she'd keep avoiding him, Head duties exempted. He'd keep asking her on dates and she'd keep saying no, just as before. However, and she truly didn't know how that happened, they'd end up snogging in some empty classroom instead of doing their rounds somehow.
And so it was that against every fibber of her being and every belief she held dear, she agreed to go out with him in a Hogsmeade weekend. She had clearly stated she had absolutely no intentions of carrying it further and that it would only be a one-time thing, so he would stop chasing her once and for all.
Surprisingly enough, it had not been a complete disaster. Truth be told, Lily could say they had a great time. He didn't behave like a big-headed git the entire time, there were no unpleasant surprises, and they actually talked about other things than work and classes. They walked around the village twice, went to various different shops, and as tradition calls it, went to The Three Broomsticks for dinner. It was a perfect evening.
Or else it would have been if they hadn't returned to the castle only so he could engage in a duel with Severus Snape in the grounds by the lake.
Lily was furious. She knew Snape was an annoying and at times dangerous idiot, but she'd felt as though nothing had changed. The boys were still having their petty fights over stupid matters and she was still stuck in the middle. And worse of all, James was now Head Boy, which meant he should know better. She'd left them with their duel and stalked back to Gryffindor Tower in a foul mood.
So far, she had managed to avoid James and his excuses seeing as the day after the incident was a Sunday. The next day, Monday, had been a hard one but she'd still managed. But now it was Tuesday, which meant their usual rounds at night, when she'd surely have to face him. It was enough for her to want the floor to open up and swallow her, four-post and everything.
"What's that, Marlene?" Lily heard her other roommate, Dawn Sinclair question from across the room.
"What?" Marlene replied. "Oh it's a Valentine's Day card and present. From Remus."
"Oh how sweet," said Bel Carlyle with enthusiasm.
Lily groaned loudly this time. She'd forgotten the wretched date. It was bloody Valentine's Day. Now she was sure James would find her and surely give her a present whilst making a total fool of himself in front of the entire Hogwarts. A rather adorable fool but… No! She was still mad at him, and clearly they weren't supposed to be together. Things hadn't changed. It was like being back in fifth year!
"Hey Lily wake up," Marlene called from her right. Just as the redhead was about to mumble a 'go away', she heard the brunette gasp and say, "Oh my, what is that?"
"What?" Came the response of the other occupants and Lily was surprised and a little curious to hear exact replicas of Marlene's gasp coming from the other girls.
"Girls," Lily said quietly, as she opened her hangings. "What happened?"
She paused, staring in shock at her bed. There, adorning the four-posts, the hangings, her blanket and the floor around her bed were would appeared to be two dozens of roses. She didn't know how she'd missed it when she woke up but the aroma emanating from them now was fairly obvious.
Astounded, Lily stood up and walked around her bed so she could look at it from a distance. The roses were light and dark pink, and most of them were in a state of half-bloom that was simply beautiful. Her four-post looked like an exquisite rose garden. It seemed almost natural those flowers should be draped around her hangings as though they'd been born there.
"Whoa," Heather Redgrave breathed from beside her. "Who did this?"
"I don't know," Lily managed with a bewildered tone to her voice. She was still too shocked to speak. Slowly, she walked around her bed, taking in sight a long-stemmed rose resting on her blanket. She noticed a piece of parchment attached to it, rolled up and tied with a pink ribbon. Opening it, she read in golden letters:
For gracing my life with happiness, I'm grateful…
"Aw that's so romantic," Bel sighed longingly, as she read the note Lily passed her, apparently still in a state of shock to speak anything.
"James Potter!" Dawn exclaimed unexpectedly, and Lily was suddenly paying a lot of attention to what the other girls were saying. "It has to be. Who else would do something like this to Lily Evans?"
Lily frowned deeply. She knew things between them weren't in the best of terms, but she'd never picture James Potter as a closet romantic. She wouldn't think he'd do something like this to her especially since she had been ignoring him. She winced as she remembered their very last conversation. Well, not really a conversation, but more of a shouting down at him.
"Really?" Heather said, rather doubtful. "I don't know. Aren't you two broken up, Lily?"
"Exactly," Bel replied before the redhead could respond. "He's trying his best to win her back."
"Still, I wouldn't think him to be a closeted romantic," Heather said, still frowning. Lily thought it weird that she had voiced exactly what she was thinking. "I would expect it from some lovesick type, like Ethan Newcastle."
"The Hufflepuff prefect?" Bel questioned, raising a surprised eyebrow.
"Well, he seems deeply infatuated with Lily here, in spite of James's warnings to leave her alone," Dawn added thoughtfully.
"He what!" Lily exclaimed. It was bad enough that her roommates were dissecting her romantic life as though she weren't there but now Potter was also meddling with it, telling boys to say away from her?
"Honestly Lily," Marlene calmly said from her left. "You're a smart girl. Some consider you one of the smartest in our year. You should know dear James would do something like this."
Lily let out a frustrated breath that sounded remarkably like 'stupid git' to Bel's ears, as she was still standing next to her. She handed the note back to her, and Lily inspected the handwriting closely. "It's not his handwrite," she said quietly.
"It's not?" Something inside Bel seemed to deflate as she said this.
"Wait, are we talking about James or Ethan?" Heather questioned, slightly confused, as she brushed and tied her auburn hair up.
"James," Lily said, still in quiet tones. "I'd know his handwrite because of our Head duties. It's not his. And it's not Ethan's for that same matter. I would recognize it from his reports."
"That doesn't prove anything," Dawn interrupted, calling from the other side of the room where she was brushing her blonde tresses. "If that note was written with a special quill, an enchanted one per say, the author could arrange it so it was completely different from his own handwrite."
"Dawn's right," Marlene assented, curiously taking the note in her hands and handing it back after a quick inspection. "My brother actually showed me how to do it once. It's fairly easy."
"Then how are we supposed to know who sent it?" Bel questioned crossing her arms over her chest, a little miffed at not being able to solve this newest mystery.
"My guess is," Lily said calmly, flipping the note in her hands, "we'll have to wait and see." She paused, looking at the other girls. "Whoever did this will surely pronounce himself during the day."
"Let's hope you're right, or else we'll never know," Dawn said, walking towards the bathroom door.
"My guess is still James Potter," Bel said adamantly, turning back to her trunk. Heather slowly rolled her eyes and slightly shook her head at Bel, giving Lily a small smile.
"Don't even waste your time asking me if I know something about this, dearest," Marlene said as she turned her back to Lily, walking to her bedside cabinet and extracting a few books from it, putting them inside her bag.
Some time later, as Lily walked into the Great Hall with Marlene and Bel for breakfast, she scanned the Gryffindor table rapidly and noticed the Marauders laughing at one end of the table. She made sure she'd sit as far away from them as possible. Roses or no roses, she still didn't feel like facing them this early in the morning.
"Well, even you have to admit it Lily," Bel was saying as the owls soared across the room with the daily mail, "that if it was James Potter, he's turned into a complete romantic and I'd say he deserves a second chance."
"What are you now, his attorney?" Lily rolled her eyes, as her friend shot her a half-hearted glare, pushing her dark tresses over her shoulder.
"If it was James, I'm absolutely demanding a token for his gratitude because he'd only learn how to be a romantic with me," Marlene laughed, pouring orange juice in a goblet.
"Not quite true," Lily retorted. "I seem to remember Remus was quite a romantic. At least he was when we were going out."
"Oh yes," Bel agreed immediately, nodding her head. "He's a perfect gentleman."
"Gosh, don't you love the fact that we all dated the same boy?" Lily said sarcastically as she buttered some toast.
"I don't particularly like it," Marlene replied, raising an eyebrow. "And by the way, I'm still dating him."
"I never dated him!" Bel protested, quite loudly at that. "We only went twice to Hogsmeade as a completely platonic couple."
"Whatever you say, darling," Lily smiled indulgently at her irked friend as Marlene laughed blatantly at the annoyed expression on Bel's face.
Just as they were about to continue their bantering and teasing amidst eating breakfast, an unexpected object appeared out of thin air, depositing itself gently in Lily's lap. Startled, she looked down surprised to find a bouquet of fifteen yellow roses with long stems.
Slowly, she reached out and touched them. The petals reflected the sunlight coming in through the windows as though they were part of it. She'd expected to sense some magical residue in them. However, they were genuine roses, apparently bred the Muggle way. Only the way they had made been delivered was magical.
There was another piece of parchment rolled up and tied with a yellow ribbon this time. Opening it, she read in the same golden letters:
…It warms me a new chance at our friendship…
"And he strikes again," Marlene said, even as Lily passed her the second note.
"He still didn't sign it," Bel said, somewhat disappointed at not knowing this person's identity but at same time highly intrigued with the mystery.
"They're rather beautiful, don't you think?" Lily said faintly, as she inspected each rose with delicate and hesitant fingers.
"They're fabulous," Marlene agreed, nodding her head slowly. "Whoever did this is going at great lengths to impress you, dearest."
"It's settled then," Bel said, grinning in a highly satisfied manner. "It must be James."
"What must be James?" They heard another voice and looked up to see Remus Lupin carrying a curious expression in his features.
"Nothing, darling," Marlene said, beckoning him to seat next to her. "Happy Valentine's Day, by the way."
"Happy Valentine's," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips and smiling back at her.
"I loved your present, I have yours back in my dorm, I'll fetch it later," she said.
"Okay," he said, turning back to the other girls. "Roses? Who's the young valentine, Lily?"
"We don't know," Bel replied before the redhead could. "It's some mystery man. It's the second set of roses she receives. The first ones were pink, and were all over her four-poster."
Remus turned amusedly arched eyebrows to the Head Girl. "Indeed?" he said.
"Yes, and thank you for summarizing my morning Bel," Lily said, raising an equally amused eyebrow at her friend. The brunette grinned sheepishly back in reply.
"And you think it's James?" Remus questioned, placing an elbow on the table and leaning his face on his hand.
"Bel seems determined to prove it is, at least," Marlene responded. "You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"
"No more than you do, darling," he said, smiling slightly at his girlfriend.
They finished breakfast without other incidents, and as they walked out to the halls with various other students, Lily took out her wand and sent the bouquet to her dormitory. As the group followed up the stairs towards the Transfiguration classroom, she remained deep in thought. The two phrases that accompanied the flowers wouldn't stop reeling over and over in her head. She was starting to think she'd have to agree with Bel. Who else would send her so many roses?
Shaking her head, she tried to clear her thoughts. Even if it had been James, should she forgive him as easily? Of course, the roses were absolutely wonderful, and clearly he'd made an effort, but what message would she be sending him if she decided to indeed forgive him? That it was all right to mess things up as long as he made a romantic gesture afterwards?
Still with those doubts and many others running through her brain, Lily didn't notice as they reached the door to their classroom and that people were stopping in their tracks as they entered.
"Hey!" She exclaimed, bumping into Marlene. Using her Head Girl voice, she continued, "Why is everyone stopping? Let's have some order here, please."
Some students moved and she pushed past her friends, looking back over her shoulder at them with a confused expression, wondering what was happening now. Just then, she faced forward and was forced to stop in her tracks like the others. There, cascading over her seat and desk were another dozen roses.
Feeling her breath get caught in her throat, she moved slowly towards them, taking in the intricate arrangements. They were of the crawling variation, and their colours were assorted shades of orange, peach and coral. Some were small rosebuds while others were in full bloom. And there in the center of her table, amidst leaves and petals, was another rolled up piece of parchment, tied with an orange silk ribbon.
She reached for it, rolling it down as other students continued to enter and murmur curiously to each other. Once more in golden letters, it read:
…There's nothing more I desire than to be with you…
Blushing a lovely shade of crimson that clashed horribly with her hair, Lily startled as she heard a voice from her left.
"Roses, Lily?" Sirius Black's amused voice echoed all over the room. "We're sure getting popular, aren't we?"
"She sure is our most popular Head Girl since Andromeda Black," Peter Pettigrew added with a friendly smile at Lily.
"Roses?" Another voice, though a faint and unusually subdued one said from her right. "Huh. Who sent them?"
Lily felt her eyes widen a little in surprise against her own volition as she turned to face the person. She heard Bel gasp behind her and say, "You mean to say you don't know anything about it?"
"No," James Potter replied, shooting the brunette a slightly confused glance.
"Ms. Evans," Professor McGonagall's voice cut across the room, and she jumped, facing the front once more. "What ever is the meaning of this?" The Transfiguration Master didn't seem as irked as she was amused with the whole scenario.
"I-I don't k-know, Professor," Lily stammered, blushing even more as she tried to continue her explanation. "I just got here and there were roses in my usual seat. I seem to be receiving them anonymously."
"Oh right," McGonagall said, sudden realization dawning in. "It is Valentine's Day, after all. Albus did tell me to expect romantic gestures all over the day…" She murmured, mostly to herself. "Well, as nice as it is, I'm not sure a dozen roses would be actually a good influence in your work today. You'd better send them away to your dormitory, if you please."
Lily turned obediently to her desk with her wand at hand and did as requested. Most students were inside the class now and the majority was commenting on the mysterious person giving flowers to the Head Girl.
She chanced a glance over her shoulder and saw James whispering to Sirius and Peter in their usual seats in the back. He now seemed to be deeply annoyed with something, unlike his detached expression moments before. She quickly turned back to the front of the room and decided to concentrate on the lessons instead of on this apparent secret admirer. Or on why her heart seemed to have dropped to her shoes once she realized James hadn't sent her the roses.
Later, as they were heading for Charms after another long and difficult class preparing for N.E.W.T.s, Lily had convinced herself she was troubled with the fact that James Potter hadn't sent her anything, and not just the roses. Well they had gone out just three days before, she was still mad at him so he was supposed to be crawling in his knees begging for mercy and forgiveness, and as usual worshiping the ground she walked on. But no, he was just being his usual annoying self, with the exception that he'd finally listened to her and had left her alone.
Taking a deep breath and analysing of her previous thoughts, she realized she was being ridiculous. Of course he shouldn't be begging for mercy or forgiveness, and not on his knees nonetheless. Less alone worship the ground she walked on! Shaking her head, she decided her friends most definitely were driving her insane with their unusual ideas and influences.
Getting back to a more normal reality, she started wondering who was this mysterious person if not James Potter, after all. His messages were most curious. From what she could get, they certainly were personal with each other and had some sort of relationship, as he mentioned her friendship. Strangely enough, she admitted to herself that her second guess (other than Potter) would have been Remus Lupin. However, that was impossible and ridiculous, since he was going out with Marlene. Besides, the two of them had broken up a long time ago.
She snapped out of her thoughts once Professor Flitwick entered the classroom and started to take the roll call. Just as Professor McGonagall in Transfiguration, he proceeded to teach them a new charm that was bound to come up in their N.E.W.T. examination in a few short months.
It was amongst a lot of swishing, flicking and at times the occasional arm flailing all over the classroom that Lily felt a sudden something fall on her. She looked up, and descending from the ceiling from apparent thin air were a dozen roses spiralling down in a shower of petals and leaves over her body. Most students gasped and paused their charm work to gape at the girl in a cloud of lavender coloured roses. Even Professor Flitwick paused his explanation to a troubled student to watch the display with astounded fascination.
"Well, well! That is quite some wand work," he said with a smile, nodding his head in an approving manner.
Even as the last rose fell to the ground in front of her, Lily's green eyes followed a rolled up piece of parchment's slowly descent to her hands. Untying the lavender silk ribbon, she saw the now familiar golden letters spelling:
…You enchanted me; it was love at first sight…
Her heart was pounding now. She faintly heard Flitwick enquire about the whole thing and her friends alternating in explaining what was happening to the Charms Master. Lily looked up and saw him smiling benignly at his top student. She blushed deeply once more, and hastily sent the roses back to her dormitory with a swish of her wand.
"Quite a nice wand work as well, Ms. Evans," he said, smiling still. She blushed even more, if possible, and tried to get back to work as if nothing unusual had happened and interrupted their class.
As they were released for lunch, Lily felt with a sense of dread that the whole school was now aware of what was happening. Apparently, gossip did spread faster than magic in Hogwarts. Most people kept glancing towards her end of the Gryffindor table to see if more roses would appear out of thin air in front of her. In fact, she was also having similar thoughts as she looked warily down to her plate, expecting roses to spring to life with her mashed potatoes.
"What's the matter, Lily?" Marlene questioned, frowning at her from across the table.
"I'm waiting," she simply murmured, still eyeing her plate with trepidation.
"For what?" Bel questioned, glancing at her curiously.
"Roses," she said simply.
"Oh please," Marlene scoffed. "Will you stop worrying over it? Whoever is sending them will not be stupid to do it while we're having lunch."
"How would you know? After all, he did send some at breakfast," Lily countered, finally raising her eyes from her plate.
"Well yes, but I'm sure he wouldn't place them in your plate, at any rate," Marlene said evenly, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
"I guess you're right," she said, finally picking up her cutlery and munching on her meal. "I just don't know if I should keep expecting more of them to appear out of the blue."
"Let me see the other notes," Bel asked, extending her hand towards the redhead.
A little reluctantly, Lily produced all four notes from her bag. Her two friends bend their heads together, reading over them as Lily indicated the correct order they were given to her. After a few minutes (and longing sighs from Bel), they returned them to Lily.
"Well?" She questioned, expecting some sort of conclusion from the duo.
"I would stay there's still more to come," Bel said, calmly getting back to her own lunch.
"How come?" The Head Girl inquired.
"Because of the way it was worded," she said. "It just gave me an impression the thought wasn't concluded. There was no final stop."
"That's true," Marlene agreed. "However, that's not to say there will be roses the next time he chooses to finish that sentence. He might do it personally."
"Oh Lord," Lily murmured, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"Will you please relax and stop acting as if it's the end of the world?" Marlene said, clearly starting to get affected with her friend's behaviour.
"Yes," Bel agreed fiercely. "I would surely love to receive dozens of roses for Valentine's Day. Hell, I'd settle for a single rose."
"Oh all right, I'm sorry," the redhead sighed, and decided to try to finish lunch without bringing up the flowers or notes again.
It would have been much easier though if other people (many which were almost complete strangers to her) would stop talking about it every other second, walking up to her in the Great Hall or stopping her in the way to class to ask if she'd already found out who it was. She would smile tiredly and say that no, she still didn't know who was the secret admirer. Then people would proceed to say who they thought it was, and didn't she think they were right?
Delightful, she thought sarcastically some time later as she descended to the dungeons.
As she entered the Potions classroom, Lily relaxed a little. Here was one of her favourite classes and with a little luck, she'd just be able to get her mind off this flower matter for the next two hours and work on a good old potion. She was certain their Potions Master would introduce them to a very interesting recipe.
A few minutes later, Professor Slughorn had already instructed them how to brew one of the most potent memory potions and the students of Advanced Potions were now to give it a try. Lily once more surveyed the classroom and concluded there were fairly a lot of students taking the course, at least twenty of them for N.E.W.T. levels.
Turning back to her cauldron, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise at what she saw. Surely it was becoming a recurring theme, even so it was least expected at the given moment. A dozen purple roses were resting inside her cauldron in an intricate arrangement that resembled a big crown of leaves and petals. Resting in the middle of the long, dried stems was the rolled up piece of parchment, tied up with a purple silk ribbon.
Discreetly, she lifted it from the bottom and rolled it down, reading in golden words:
…To me, you are unique…
Smiling to herself, she swished her wand skilfully and sent the roses back to her dormitory, where it would rest in her bed along the others. She turned to store the note in her bag, grateful that this time her secret admirer had been discreet enough so it hadn't caused a disruption in the middle of the class.
An hour and a half later, Lily presented Prof. Slughorn a sample of a perfect memory potion, scoring an inspiring O – for Outstanding.
"Precise as always, Ms. Evans," Slughorn smiled fondly at her, grading her potion in a notebook.
With that in mind and feeling her spirit considerably lighter, she packed her belongings and exited to the hallways of Hogwarts.
"So have you stopped fearing your flowers yet?" Bel enquired good-naturedly once they met in a courtyard. Whereas Lily and Marlene had been in Potions, Bel had been in Advanced Old Runes. A wise choice, given the girl's abysmal abilities in potion-making.
"Yes, I think so," Lily said, smiling slightly.
"Yes, you'd have been proud of her," Marlene said as they headed for a set of stairs leading to the grounds. "She did not even utter a single word when more roses – purple this time – appeared suddenly inside her cauldron."
"Well, it was considerably easier given no one besides you saw it happening," Lily replied as the crisp, chilly air hit them in the face.
The girls adjusted their cloaks tightly around them and went for a stroll on the castle's grounds, commenting on the classes they'd had this day and the usual gossip running the school (besides that of Lily and her roses).
Naturally, they spent a fair amount of time taking wild guesses at the possible secret admirer and laughing at the promising outcomes by the shores of the lake.
"All right," Marlene said, taking a deep breath and attempting to stop her laughter. "What about that weird bloke from Ravenclaw, what's his name?"
"Andrew Shore?" Bel said with an uncertain frown.
"Yes! What about him?" She turned excitedly to Lily.
"Oh no!" She exclaimed as her friends fell into laughter once more. "It can't be him!"
"It'd be extremely cute if it was that sweet little first-year who's been in love with you ever since the start of year, though," Bel said with a grin.
"Quite frankly, that thought is a little disturbing," Lily said, frowning at her friend.
"Yeah, really creepy," Marlene said sending an equally troubled look to the brunette next to her, who only shrugged and pouted in an adorably annoying manner.
They'd have continued it for some time if Lily hadn't insisted they head back and out of the freezing air. She also insisted they studied some more.
Albeit unenthusiastically (and they used of several groans and whines to express it), her friends agreed, so they picked up their bags and headed for the library. They sat down at a nice table by one of the high windows and settled down for work. Lily quickly surrounded herself with several reference books for the essays they had been assigned to write for each class.
They had been working for some twenty minutes when Lily turned a page of one of her books and suddenly two intertwined roses – yellow and orange – popped out of thin air. Startled, she looked around her books only to see other ten more appear on top of her books in varied arrangements.
And there in front of her, on top of her essay was the rolled up parchment tied up with a yellow and orange ribbons. In golden letters it read:
…You are ever present in my thoughts…
"This is so sweet," Bel whispered to her, having restrained herself from squealing in delight.
"No, this is turning into a nuisance," Lily said, slightly irritated this time. Her aggravation with the flowers only lasted a few seconds as she surveyed the roses once more. They were so beautiful and had been so carefully chosen she couldn't help as her heart melted at their sight.
Sighing in defeat, she smiled and took out her wand to send them away. She kept the note with the others in her bag, though. Placing her arms on the table, she rested her head on them and thought about it all. The truth was she was absolutely dying with curiosity to know who was sending her the roses. She wanted to talk to this person and see if they really knew her as much as they seemed to.
With that, Lily stood up and decided she was done studying. Both Marlene and Bel looked up with wide eyes at the announcement. None of them had ever heard Lily Evans say she had stopped studying for the day after staying not even half an hour in the library. However, that didn't stop them from following her out the hallways much more willingly than they had walked in.
"It is just as well, since I have Quidditch practice soon," Marlene said, shrugging.
They walked back to Gryffindor Tower and up the stairs to their dormitory. They left their bags in their trunks and got into some warmer cloaks to go outside once more. Lily grabbed a magical novel she was reading and linked her arm through Bel's as they followed Marlene to the Quidditch pitch. The duo parted up to the stands as Marlene went to the locker room to change and meet the others.
As interesting as the detective novel was, Lily couldn't help but put it down once the Gryffindor Team soared up in the air to commence their practice. She watched in fascination as the players performed the most outrages moves in the air, supported only by a piece of enchanted wood. No Muggle sport could make her loose her breath as much as Quidditch.
James, as Captain of the Team, had them all playing, including the reserve ones so it was like watching an actual game with fourteen players soaring in the air. Lily and Bel had no idea how each player knew from which "team" they were, but that didn't seem to be a problem for them. They performed their manoeuvres like professionals, and every now and then James would stop the game, giving the players some pointers.
Practice lasted an hour, and while the players prepared themselves for their next match, the two lone members of the audience mused over which position and moreover in which professional Team they'd like to play. In a very hypothetical way, of course.
Lily concluded she'd have liked to be a Seeker for either the Holyhead Harpies (because they were an all ladies club) or the Montrose Magpies ("They are the most successful team in the history of the UK, after all," she said). Bel agreed as for the Teams adding only Puddlemere United, her personal favourite, but she argued the Seeker position was a much too dangerous one.
"What would you have chosen, then?" Lily questioned, curious.
"Beater," Bel said simply.
"Really?" Her friend said, a puzzled and surprised expression on her features.
"Well, they carry the clubs," Bel explained. "You just need to have good aim and keep the Bludgers at bay."
"Somehow I think it takes a lot more to be a Beater," Lily said as she watched Sirius Black send one of the metal black balls flying with spectacular speed to the other side of the field where one of the reserve Beaters just barely intercepted it from collapsing with a Chaser.
Once the players had their feet down on the ground again, Lily hurried to drag her friends back to the castle on the pretence of being hungry. In reality, she wasn't ready yet to spend more time than strictly necessary in the presence of James Potter. They still had to do their rounds together after curfew leaving plenty of time so they'd be uncomfortable with each other. There was no need rushing it.
It was a normal Tuesday night, and dinner was served in the Great Hall. The four long House tables were rapidly filled with hungry and somewhat tired students, some groups chatting loudly over soup and other cuisines whereas others were more subdued. Lily kept shooting annoyed looks as one of the loudest groups was obviously that of the Marauders. Apparently, they were contemplating a food fight with some fellow Hufflepuffs. All in good humour, of course.
"Morons," she hissed under her breath, moving her goblet of pumpkin juice to her lips.
"Oh honestly if you dislike their behaviour that much just march over there and tell them off," Marlene said reasonably, not even raising her eyes to her friend to understand what she meant with that simple word.
"I can't do that because I'm trying to avoid Potter," Lily said with a glare. "And I don't actually think they'd do that. All the professors are here right now."
"That never stopped them before," Bel replied in a sing-song voice. Lily's glare turned to her then.
They spent a few minutes in silent companionship. It was moments later that Marlene finally raised her blue eyes to look around herself and with that came some interesting news.
"Well, you're right about something," Marlene said as her eyebrows raised high in her forehead with surprise. "They are all here all right."
"Who are you talking about?" Bel questioned, frowning in confusion.
Just then, Lily's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she noticed the entire faculty of Hogwarts (minus Binns) get up from the Head table and start walking to her direction, for what it looked like. All the students watched with interest as they progressed to where the Head Girl and her friends were sitting.
The Muggle Studies Professor reached her first, and Lily thought it particularly strange given she had never been to one of her classes, being a Muggle-born and all. Her heart was pounding in her ears as Professor Stalk apparently waited for all her colleagues to arrive.
"Ms. Evans?" She then said pleasantly. Lily gulped and nodded quietly, watching with growing trepidation as the woman now turned to grin mischievously down at her. "I believe we have something for you."
To say Lily Evans was shocked was a tremendous understatement. For as one, the Hogwarts faculty (even Madam Hooch) extended one of their hands to reveal they were holding each a long-stemmed, deep red rose.
The redhead could only stare in shock up at all those great wizards and witches, who were smiling warmly at her. Her friends started laughing and suddenly applause broke all over the Great Hall amidst loud whistling and catcalls.
"Someone is trying very hard to impress you," Professor Celeste, who taught them Astronomy, said with a giggle as she lightly twirled the rose in her hand.
"They appeared suddenly at the Head table and we concluded they were for you," their Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Kevin Kettleburn, explained before her bewildered look.
"So come on," Professor Knightly, their Defence teacher for the year said, nudging her along. "I'm sure they won't bite you. Or would they, Pomona?" He added, turning to their Herbology Master with a mock-concerned face.
"Oh no, no," Professor Sprout said easily with a smile. "They are genuine roses. And what a beautiful specimens these are."
Stammering incoherently and blushing profusely (Lily was sure has face would be perpetually the same colour of the roses), she gathered the twelve roses hurriedly. The professors began walking back to their table slowly.
"Flowers can give you a great glimpse of the future, chérie, if you know how to use them," their Divination teacher, Professor Lamure, said in her French accent with wink as she passed by her side.
Covering her face with a hand and determined to stare down at the ground, Lily failed to notice as the Headmaster lingered behind with a very amused expression on his features.
"And Ms. Evans," Professor Dumbledore said softly. She looked up between her fingers and saw his eyes twinkle as he continued. "Just one more thing. Surely this is yours also?" He produced a rolled up piece of parchment tied up with a burgundy silk ribbon. "I thought so. Enjoy your meal." He said, giving her the note and walking back to the Head table, his eyes twinkling still as he surveyed his enthusiastic and rather loud students all over the room.
"Oh my God," Lily whispered, feeling her face burn in embarrassment as she rolled down the note. It read in golden letters:
…You are beautiful, inside and out…
"Well, I got to tell you," Bel said, gasping for breath in between laughs. "Whoever he is, he is sure outrageously surprising!"
"He's got some nerve pulling the Professors in on this," Heather said as she and Dawn joined them, sitting down beside Marlene.
"This is hilarious!" Dawn exclaimed. "Have you found who he is yet, Lily?"
"No, I didn't," Lily said, snapping at her friends. "And stop laughing! This is mortifying!"
"Oh lighten up!" Marlene said, waving a hand carelessly at her. "Even McGonagall brought you a rose. Did you see her face?"
"Well, she was fairly amused with the whole thing," Lily admitted with a hint of a smile.
"I actually don't know if she was about to break into a frown or a grin," Dawn said, banging her fist in the table rather loudly. That wasn't much of a display though, seeing as nearly everyone else was still howling with laughter.
Finishing dinner with as much composure as she could muster, Lily left the Great Hall at what she hoped was a normal walking speed and directed herself to Gryffindor Tower. She had left her friends behind, saying she was going to take advantage that everyone was still having dinner to have a bubble bath in the prefect's bathroom.
Once she got hold of her personal objects she'd need for that task, Lily walked slowly along the silent and empty halls of the ancient school. Sighing deeply, she concluded she liked this much better in comparison to the haphazard environment of the Great Hall. Now she could actually listen to her own thoughts and process what had happened so far.
Naturally, she was flattered with how much effort and time this secret admirer had obviously taken to surprise her. The roses were nothing short of beautiful and each time she read one of the notes, she'd feel the heat present in her cheeks. But at same time not knowing who was sending them was very bothersome.
Lost in thought, she had reached the corridor of the statue of Boris the Bewildered and found the door to the prefect's bathroom, automatically murmuring the password ("wistful wishing"). Still thinking over the matter, she opened some of the golden taps by the edge of the swimming pool in the middle of the marble floor. She continued her pondering as she waited for it to be full.
And she came to a startling realization. A small part of her was still upset that James hadn't sent her a gift. When she had woken up this morning, she was certain he would give her something. She had expected an approach to talk to her, a request to go on a date again, a shameful proclamation of love, anything! But no, the only words he had said to her all day were concerning who had sent the damn roses.
She couldn't believe he hadn't done anything. But most of all, she couldn't believe she was missing him. It was hard to admit it to herself, but yes, she missed James Potter. She missed his annoying habits like running his hand through his hair or asking her to go out in front of the entire school. She missed how he would say he didn't need to study for tests but then would shamelessly ask her to be tutored in Charms only as pretence to spend time together. She missed his boyish grin, the seemingly permanent mischievous gleam of his eyes, his rather loud laughter… And how much he cared for his friends. How she knew he'd do anything in the world to save her or those he loved. She missed talking to him. She missed arguing with him.
Snapping her head up suddenly, she noticed the pool was all filled with water and bubbles. Moving shakily from the floor where she had been sitting, she let herself melt as she stepped into the pool. Her muscles relaxed almost immediately, and she decided to think no more. Thinking was overrated, anyway.
Lily was almost falling asleep as she leaned against the edge, idly playing with the bubbles when she noticed a bubble crossing the room above her head. Looking up, she saw different bubbles, of every size and colour. Furthermore, she was a little startled to see some of them carried blue roses with long stems.
Fascinated, she watched as they made their lazy way to the pool, depositing themselves on top of the other bubbles. A loner lingered behind the others and came to rest directly in front of her. With a soft pop, the bubble dissolved itself and the blue rose was left to float in front of her, attached to a rolled up piece of parchment tied with a blue silk ribbon.
She smiled knowingly when she detected an impervious incantation on the note, rolling it down with her wet fingers and reading in golden letters:
…I only hope for a miracle, a possibility…
Those words stroke a cord inside her. She felt something shift and change because suddenly she was also hoping something for herself. The blue of the roses brought a strange peace to her mind, and her heart also calmed down.
Some time later, when she returned to the common room, the most observing of her housemates noticed a change in her attitude. She was more relaxed, calm, and peaceful. She also chose to carry the roses back in her arms, instead to sending them away with a wave of her wand.
"Well, well, well," Heather said from her nightstand as Lily entered their dormitory. "I see you've finally stopped battling it and decided to embrace your roses. Quite literally."
"Yes, I saw there was no point," Lily replied with a smile, depositing the bouquet on her bed, along with the various others. "Besides, the day is nearly over. How many more roses can this person send me till Valentine's Day is finished?"
"He's still not finished?" Bel asked, walking in from the bathroom and performing a drying spell on her hair.
"I'm not sure. But something tells me not quite," Lily answered with a smile. "Where are the others?"
"Downstairs, in the common room," Heather said, loosening her auburn hair and walking to the bathroom with a towel. "Didn't you see them when you walked in?"
"No, but it was rather packed downstairs," Lily replied. "Want to come, Bel?" She said as Heather closed the bathroom door.
"Yes, I'll be right down, you can go," Bel waved her on, turning to her trunk.
Lily quickly found Marlene and Dawn in a fierce match of wizards chess. Dawn was winning, but just barely. The redhead watched as they finished the game. Marlene won quite unexpectedly with a surprising move just as Bel walked up to them and proposed a game of Exploding Snap.
They spent the next half hour playing cards and talking about nothing in particular. Lily was particularly grateful that none of her friends questioned her further regarding the roses, the secret admirer or James Potter. However, that wouldn't stop other people from doing it.
Especially when it came to Sirius Black.
"Hey girls!" He greeted them joyfully, flopping down on the couch next to Dawn. This in itself was a huge mistake as the petite blonde despised their Gryffindor flamboyant Beater. Her deadly glare should've warned him, but Sirius being… well Sirius, he just ignored it and stretched his luck by putting an arm around her.
"Want to play?" Marlene invited him in all good nature, also ignoring Lily's signs that she didn't want Sirius Black at their table and Dawn's obvious glare because she was… well, Marlene.
"Sure," the handsome young man replied promptly. In his enthusiasm, he took his arm from around Dawn, which was a good thing as another needless duel had been avoided consequently. "What are we playing?"
"Poker," Bel replied, shuffling the cards. "Do you know how to play it? It's a Muggle game…"
"Sure, we learned it in Muggle Studies," Sirius said, stretching his legs over the table.
"Seriously? Professor Stalk taught you all poker?" Lily turned deadpan to stare at him.
"Yeah, and she's really good at it too," Sirius said, and barely two seconds later, he continued with a laugh. "Of course not! Moony taught us."
The girls rolled their eyes minus Marlene, who laughed, as she obviously already knew about it.
"Is there anything you need?" Dawn questioned, crossing her arms over her chest and looking suspiciously at him.
"Nothing in particular comes to mind, but I'm sure I can come up with something if you give me a minute," he turned to her, flashing one of his prize-winning smiles.
"Sirius!" Lily said, a warning tone in her voice.
"What? Can't a bloke come sit with his friends and have a nice game of poker?" He questioned with innocent eyes. "By the way, what's the game?"
"Five card draw, jacks or better, nothing wild and everybody ante," Bel explained, still shuffling the cards.
"And what are we betting?" He said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Money, you git," Marlene replied, whacking him over the head. He protested against the assault loudly, pouting adorably, to what the girls laughed.
They went once more over the rules, then Bel started dealing the cards. As he grabbed his cards, Sirius fixed Lily with a very shrewd stare.
"What?" She questioned warily.
"You thought I'd come here to question you, right?" He said, a dangerous smirk playing in his lips.
"Regarding?" She challenged, raising an eyebrow.
"You know," he said. "Roses, this so called secret admirer, Prongs…"
"What does James have to do with all this?" Bel asked, not taking her eyes off her cards.
"Good question," Lily nodded in agreement, turning back to the dark-haired man.
"Well, we're curious," Sirius simply put.
"All I have to say is that your guess is as good as mine," the Head Girl said calmly. "I'm taking two," she told Bel, who was the dealer.
They continued playing and from then on, their conversation was all poker talk. It wasn't until a few rounds later, when everybody had lost and won some that their attention was brought onto other matters.
Heather had just descended the stairs to the common room. Looking around for her friends, she gasped and said, "Oh my God! Lily, look!"
And she did. At exactly that moment, several white roses started spreading across the chair she was sitting, contrasting violently with its deep-red fabric. The roses continued to appear all around her, spreading across the floor and the carpet, up on the curtains behind her, and on top of the table in front of her. The whole common room stood up to watch the display.
She was sure there had to be nearly fifty roses there, all white and in half-bloom. She looked down at her lap and saw a final rose appearing, along with the expected rolled-up piece of parchment. Untying the white silk ribbon, she read the golden letters:
…A chance that a heavenly creature like you,
pure and innocent as your name, would see me as worthy…
Lily felt a sudden sense of deja vú when her housemates started whistling and catcalling (Sirius being the loudest), but this time she faced it all with a knowing smile on her face. Because there was only one person who could be doing this to her, and she knew who that was. It had to be…
"Lily!"
She looked up, startled. James Potter was stalking across the common room from where he had been previously playing wizards chess with Remus and he looked… angry?
Why? She questioned herself completely bewildered.
"Yes?" She said, frowning in confusion at him.
"It's already ten, we have to do the rounds," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing her with a definitely unhappy glare.
"What?" She managed to say, blinking her eyes. What was happening now? If it wasn't James that was sending her the roses, then…
"Aw come on, Prongs! Let us finish this hand," Sirius begged with big puppy eyes, and mouthed silently, "I have a full house!"
Raising a single eyebrow and ignoring his friend, James said, "Now." His voice was very cold and distant.
"Sure," Lily stammered, slowly getting up to her feet and leaving the chair. "Heather can take my place… Here." She handed her friend her cards, and followed James outside the portrait whole as the entire Gryffindor Tower watched this unfolding in complete bewilderment.
What had just happened?
It was exactly what Lily was thinking as they reached the first floor and started their usual rounds. What had gone wrong? She was absolutely positive it was James giving her the roses. Only that he was apparently irritated over something, so obviously it wasn't him.
"No one here," he muttered, shutting an empty classroom's door with a loud snap.
"Don't snap the doors shut," she asked quietly, inspecting a broom cupboard.
"Sorry," he mumbled and moved to inspect another classroom. "So…"
"So," she said, not looking at him. Now he wanted to talk?
"How was your day?" He finished lamely.
"Oh it was okay," she said, noticeable sarcasm in her voice as they moved to a stairwell. "Just the usual roses popping every other place, random people questioning me about them, and the whole school wondering about my romantic life. You?"
He murmured something inaudible and continued to glare at the floor. She caught him murmuring some words to himself about "roses" and "stupid gits" when they turned to another corridor in the second floor.
"James," she said, frowning at him. "Are you jealous?"
"No," he said emphatically. "Why ever would I be?"
"Oh well I don't know," she said sarcastically. "Because someone else has found a more successful way to woo the most popular Head Girl?" She finished with a blatant grin plastered over her face.
"Okay, first of all, woo?" He questioned. "Who are you, my grandmother? And what do you mean successful? Don't tell me you're actually enjoying this whole ridiculous thing?"
"Who said anything about ridiculous?" She retorted good-naturedly. "After all, which girl wouldn't love to receive tons of roses in Valentine's Day?"
He made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, and continued, "Have you found out who's sending them?"
"No," she said, sighing deeply. "This is rather disturbing, actually. How can someone apparently know so much about me when I don't even know who they are?"
"Maybe you've got a stalker," he suggested with a hint of a smirk.
"That's comforting," she said, frowning in a bemused way at him. "Have you ever had a stalker?"
"Have you forgotten last year already?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow at her.
"Oh right," she said with a smile. "I've forgot about Camilla Robinson and her very unhealthy obsession with you."
"Yeah, I'm quite glad she's already graduated," he said with a half-mock long-suffering sigh.
They continued making their rounds and occasionally catching a couple or another celebrating Valentine's Day in an empty classroom or roomy broom cupboard. Lily was ready to give them weeks of detention, but James somehow convinced her to just give a warning and take a few points from their Houses. There was one couple, however, that he wasn't able to help seeing they were already in a state of half-nakedness that was too obvious to ignore.
"Honestly!" Lily huffed, hands on her hips as she watched the couple staggering away, still straightening their robes and putting on their shoes.
"Oh lighten up, Lily," James said with laughter in his voice. "It is Valentine's Day, after all."
"I'm quite aware of what today is, thank you very much," she said with a glare as they continued to patrol the corridors. "And why do people keep telling me to lighten up?"
"Perhaps it would be good to listen to what people say, then," he said with a smile.
"No good can come from listening to people," she mumbled. "If that was the case, I'd have left Hogwarts in my first year, when Lucius Malfoy said a mudblood shouldn't be able to set a foot inside the castle."
"I meant sensible people, not repugnant forms of life," James countered with a sarcastic smirk.
"Oh well then there's a huge difference," she acquiesced.
"Glad we've got that figured out, then," he said. "Does that mean you count me as sensible people?"
The redhead simply shook her head to herself as she rolled her eyes, but the Head Boy noticed the smile that still adorned her features.
"We'd better check the Astronomy Tower," she said sometime later as they were walking along a corridor in the seventh floor.
"Really, do you think that's necessary?" He asked.
"Well obviously," she said, direction herself towards it. "If we've caught no less than seven couples snogging in classrooms and cupboards, why shouldn't there be anyone up there?"
"Lily, will you let these people enjoy themselves? It's Valentine's Day!" He exclaimed, following her up the stairs.
"It doesn't matter, we're only doing our jobs as Head Boy and Girl," she retorted as she continued walking up.
"Oh well," he sighed calmly. "I tried."
They reached the top of the stairs and Lily pushed open the door to the Astronomy Tower, expecting to find at least one couple wrapped up in each other's arms in a snogging session in a corner. She did not expect what her eyes met, however.
Covering almost every part of the floor was a magnificent carpet-like of red and white roses, all entwined expertly on themselves. The leaves and petals glowed with the light of dozens of small candles scattered on the tower. Her eyes followed them so far as to the ramparts, where she noticed more roses and candles aligned directly in front of the telescopes.
She looked up and from the twinkling stars above, she saw a rolled up piece of parchment fall to her hands. Shaking slightly, she untied the red and white silk ribbons, reading in golden letters:
…Worthy of one more chance of being with you…
"Lily. Turn around."
She did. And there, standing in front of the door with a single and perfect red rose in hands was James Potter, smiling sweetly at her.
She was mesmerized. She was flabbergasted. And she was so confused. She was hopeful, relieved, numb and… everything. So many emotions were coursing through her body that she was completely overwhelmed. She continued to stand there, the last note still secured in her hands, and she stared at the young dark-haired man with spectacles and a grin on his face as sudden tears formed in her eyes.
James continued to smile and took a deep breath before continuing. "Oh boy," he breathed. "Well, I had planned a bunch of things I was going to tell you. I wanted to tell you how much I admire you. Your intelligence, your gentleness, your great heart, your courage, and all your many other great qualities. I wanted to say how much I've missed you when we're apart, and how much I still want to learn about you. Your dreams and hopes, your flaws, your plans… I wanted you to know how much I want to kiss you every day of my life, how I want to make you laugh and cry, and experience everything there is in the world. And God, I want to kiss you!
"But then it came to me that I can say all this, and you can keep saying how we're wrong for each other, and how things don't work, that nothing has changed. And you can say it all, really, because in the end the truth is only one and I'll always know it, no matter what you tell me right now.
"Because I love you, Lily. And it's as simple as that."
And with that she was truly rendered speechless. She could only look at him standing there with his hopeful and adorable boyish grin, moonlight reflected of the corner of his glasses. And that single red rose in his hand.
Unaware of the silent tears that had managed to escape her eyes, she managed to walk slowly up to him, finally getting a grip over her own body once more.
Smiling slightly, she said, "That's true. I could say all those things over and over again. But in the end, you'd be right." She stopped in front of him, reaching and taking the rose off his hand. "It's as simple as that." She took his other hand in hers. "Because I love you too."
Splitting the widest grin in his face, he said, "Do you really?"
"Yes," she laughed, as he took her in his arms. "Now what were you saying about a kiss?"
He did as requested, claiming her lips to his in a searing kiss. Moments later, they broke apart like two idiots with twin grins on their faces.
"And the good news is," he said, "we're Head Boy and Girl, so we don't have to worry about getting caught snogging in the Astronomy Tower!"
She laughed, punching him lightly in the arm. "Oh shut up and kiss me, you fool!"
"Gladly," he said, waggling his eyebrows and happily obliging.
And at the bottom of the stairs in the seventh floor, five figures stood in the hallway, looking up towards the Astronomy Tower with satisfied expressions on their faces.
"Mischief managed," Remus murmured, taping the Marauder's Map with his wand and turning it blank once more.
"And mission accomplished," Sirius said, clapping a hand on Peter's shoulder.
"So then wait a minute," Bel said, turning from one to another. "This means you all knew what was happening?"
"Well, I'd have told you but I couldn't risk you telling it all to Lily," Marlene replied as Remus put his arms around her.
"And how did you manage it?" Bel questioned, highly impressed. "After all, there were hundreds of roses."
"Actually, two hundred and seventy five," Remus replied. "Apparently, one for each time Prongs managed to annoy Lily."
"It's not accurate, but a close enough number," Sirius provided with a playful wink.
"And whose original idea was it?" Bel asked.
"Well, James wanted to do something to apologize to Lily, and I suggested flowers," Marlene explained.
"I suggested roses because my mom's always told me girls love them," Peter said.
"And we all came up with the outrageous ideas of how to deliver them," Sirius said. "The ones in Charms and at dinner with the Professors were mine, of course."
"Obviously," Bel agreed as she rolled her eyes. "Who else would be so flashy about it?"
"And Peter got all the roses with his mother," Remus added.
"She's a Herbologist, and a Muggle botanist as well," he explained with a grin. "She also told me what each rose means and represents, which helped James with his notes."
"Wow, quite the team work," Bel nodded her approval. "I'm impressed. It's nice to know you can all work together for something other than pranking."
"Never underestimate the ingenuity of the Marauders, my dear," Sirius said.
"I never do," Bel assured him. "Oh I just wished I'd have received a rose."
"For Merlin's sake," Marlene sighed exasperatedly. "Why won't you get yourself a boyfriend so then you can stop mumbling about roses, Cymbeline?"
"Cymbeline?" Remus questioned, arching his eyebrows in amusement even as Sirius suddenly howled with laughter.
"I prefer Bel, if you don't mind," the brunette said, crossing her arms and glaring at her friend. Her angry expression quickly dissolved, though, when a yellow rose appeared right in front of her eyes.
"For you," Peter said with a smile. "Purely as a gesture of friendship in Valentine's Day."
"Oh thank you very much, Peter," she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "It's so beautiful!"
"Finally!" Marlene exclaimed. "Are you happy, then? Can we go back to the common room now that everything is solved?"
"Yes, let's go before the happy couple up there comes down and put us in detention for being here out of curfew," Remus added, steering his girlfriend to start walking down the hallway.
"And knowing our Head Boy and Girl, that's a big possibility," Sirius agreed, walking after the couple with an arm thrown across Bel's shoulders and the other across Peter's.
Finite Incantatem
A.N.: I didn't intend for it to be so long, but this is what I could manage. Some of the scenes were very extended, and I realize there's a lot I could just cut out but it was all so fun to write! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you've read it so far, you could leave me a review saying your opinion. That's always highly appreciated!
Here's an extra scene that I just thought but wouldn't include in the story. Consider it a special bonus.
It was some time later that Lily and James returned to their common room, hand in hand. James had managed to explain the majority of the spells he had used to deliver the roses, and Lily had listened to all with fascinated attention.
"Well, this is certainly interesting," she said as they sat down on one of the couches by the fire. "But there's just one more thing I need to ask you."
"What is it?" He turned curiously to her.
"What am I supposed to do with all those roses now?"
"Uh…"