A Dog Issue
by Caelum Isleen
Panting, Lily risked glancing over her shoulder for what seemed the fifth time in the past few minutes. Her eyes widened, horrified, as she realised it was still following her. It being the biggest dog she had ever seen in her entire life, the size of a bear at least. And it had decided to chase after her through the entire Hogwarts' grounds, for some reason.
This pursue began when she had decided to take a walk outside after an entire afternoon stuck in the library doing her homework. The weather was inviting and she was craving for a bit of sunshine after so many hours with her nose inside her books. The great thing about the library, however, was the fact that she would never find the Marauders there, except for Remus. But since the two of them were friends and Lily couldn't possibly stand the others, especially Potter and Black, the place became a sanctuary to her. Quiet, filled with respectable and responsible people, and the three boys' living nightmare.
She had just decided to pay a visit to Hagrid, the keykeeper, and ask him how the pumpkins for the Halloween were doing when the huge canine came out of nowhere and tried to attack her. She didn't think of anything remotely reasonable she could do other than run, which was exactly what she did. She ran for her life, the dog's monstrous paws causing the ground she stepped on to tremble, its raging breath following her everywhere she turned.
Feeling as though she was going to faint from lack of oxygen any minute, the redhead tried a different approach and hurriedly climbed to the first available tree she could find. How she made it to the top, she had no idea. The lowest branches were still pretty high but she somehow managed to reach them as easily as a monkey. She let out a small squeal of surprise when the dog's paws connected violently with the trunk, barking loudly and spreading several threads of saliva in the process. Recoiling against the leaves, Lily looked uncertainly down at it, blue eyes connecting with her emerald ones.
Leaning against the branches, she let out a sigh of relief as her heartbeat began to steady. She needed to recharge energies and since it was a Saturday and she didn't have any classes, she could simply stay in there as long as she wished, with enough distance between her and the beast to keep her safe. Unfortunately for her, the dog seemed to have the same idea in mind, for it sat down in the grass and looked at her, as if telling her it was going to wait as long as necessary for her to climb down. This didn't soothe Lily in the slightest and swallowing hard, she realised she was going to be there for a long, long time.
She gripped her wand almost painfully, while her other one clasped the nearest branch. She could use a spell, any repellent spell, and get rid of the dog. But Lily wasn't an evil person; she was a lovely one, one who loved animals too. Not to mention it would be sort of unfair for the beast, to be catapulted away or have blisters spurt out of its skin with no idea of what had hit it.
Then again, why was she bloody thinking of the dog's feelings in the first place? It had attacked her, chased after her and terrorised her for no apparent motive. She had more than reason to strike back. And she was in the magical world. Dogs couldn't possibly be as sweet and friendly as back home; she had living proof right in front of her.
It was while she was lost in this train of thought, pondering the possibility of jinxing the animal out of its life, that its enormous paws connected with the trunk again. The entire tree shook perilously and her entire body jolted forward, causing her to shriek. Her hair blinded her for a moment and she felt it invade her mouth. In an attempt to keep herself from falling, Lily did the only logical thing in mind at the time: use both her hands and hold onto the thickest branches in order to steady herself. Her legs dangled madly beneath her and she had no idea whether she would be able to restore her early sitting position, but at least she was safe from harm.
Only, she had lost her wand in the process.
Two hours later, not much had changed. The dog hadn't moved from its spot nor had showed any signs of wanting to leave, either. Lily was hoping he would fall asleep and allow her to escape, but the option didn't look plausible. The dog was currently lying on the ground, occasionally exhaling boringly, one massive paw holding her wand down.
If she didn't know better, she would have thought it to know its exact purpose and the reason why she hadn't been able to escape yet. But to Lily, that dog was still a dog, as magical as it could be. So besides the idea of having a new chew toy, she couldn't possibly imagine what went through its head to keep her wand captive.
She was sure if she made any movement at all, the dog's head would shot up in alert and her chances would go down the drain. The feeling was awful and the only person she remembered had the power to inflict it towards her in the same way was none other than Potter.
Yes, because he too loved to control her steps. He was the reason why she hadn't gotten a date in three years and what made guys terrified of approaching her. They knew what would happen if they did and no one appreciated being on James' bad side.
Now, she wasn't the type of girl to deal well with possessiveness, which was why she hadn't given in to the raven-haired's charm. That amongst other factors, that is. Everything about Potter irritated, annoyed and drove her absolutely mad and the git seemed to enjoy all of that. Getting under her skin was one of Potter's favourite hobbies, actually, and apparently she didn't make it any harder for him. Lily was aware of her irascibility but it wasn't like she could control it, not with someone like him bothering her all the time.
So between the dog and Potter, Lily didn't know what she preferred. In one hand, she knew James would never physically hurt her, something she couldn't say about the dog. But she doubted the animal's intentions were any worse than Potter's, which was saying something.
She had resorted to a book she had brought from the library, her only source of entertainment. It was getting easier to accept her destiny throughout the many chapters she had already gone through and maybe, just maybe, the dog would get tired of waiting and leave, eventually. Hopefully without her wand.
Lily never had much luck but she sincerely hoped it would be a different case this time.
Especially because she wasn't exactly looking forward to spending the night in there. And because of how secluded the area in which she had taken refuge was, she doubted anyone would come by and rescue her any time soon. She was completely and utterly invisible in the midst of the sea of treetops. Not to mention powerless.
Lily was beginning to feel a bit of fear. And cold. But mostly fear. If only she could get a way to retrieve her wand…
"Lily!"
Her eyes rose from the pages. No, it couldn't be.
"Lily!"
It was! There was someone else in there!
"I'm here!" she yelled, forgetting all about the book and the dog and simply focusing on her first and possibly last chance of getting out of that hell. Clumsily, she tried to stand up, making the book fall and startle the dog, which had already gotten up as soon as its ears captured her voice.
She almost lost her balance but thankfully she was able to steady herself as she frantically looked around for the person who had just called her name and that strangely sounded very familiar...
"Darling Lily, I knew you'd be here somewhere!"
Oh bollocks, not him!
"Potter!"
And it really was him. The unmistakable lopsided grin along with the messy hair and glasses gave James Potter a completely unique identity, which was far from being a compliment in Lily's view.
The dog immediately started barking, causing her to remember all about its presence again. Her hope of getting out of such circumstance sank in the pit of her stomach just as a whole different one surfaced to her chest, pumping like mad: maybe the hairy monster would bite Potter.
"Whoa," James said as he spotted the canine, snarling at him, "Easy there, buddy."
Lily's mouth dropped in shock as the dog simply complied with the other's request and merely wagged its tail contently. What the...?
"Potter, do you know this dog?" the redhead demanded, flushed with anger. She later hit herself mentally for asking such a useless question. It didn't matter! She just wanted to get the bloody hell out of there!
"No, but he seems pretty friendly," he replied, reaching out and starting to stroke the dog's ears. The animal seemed to be in pure ecstasy and Lily considered (after overcoming her shock) climbing out of the tree just then, while it was distracted. But then she thought better of it and decided not to push her luck. Before she would be able to reach the ground, it would already be on her tail again and she didn't appreciate getting a piece of her leg ripped off just yet.
James suddenly looked up to her as though he were seeing her for the first time, and frowned, "Lily, dear, what in Merlin's name are you doing up there?"
"Me?" she squeaked, completely out of herself. What kind of question was that? It was so obvious why she was there, "Because of that... That monster!"
She pointed to the dog with a shaky finger but retracted it instantly when the black canine snarled in response.
"There, there, Snuffles, we don't want to scare her, do we?" James asked, patting the dog's head. Its expression changed back to absolute bliss and it gave him a happy bark, which made the raven-haired smile. Lily was completely gobsmacked.
"Wh-Ho-Y-?" shaking her head, she tried to form a coherent sentence, "Snuffles?"
Again, not the question you should be asking, you idiot!
James stared at her for a moment.
"Just came to me," he shrugged nonchalantly.
Lily decided to forget about it and jump to more important questions, "How can you do that?"
"Do what?"
"That!" Lily gestured rashly towards them. 'Snuffles' was behaving like a good little pet instead of the ravenous beast that had been bullying her for hours now, "Petting him and him letting you!"
"Aw, he's just lost, the poor guy," James explained, looking down at it, "Is a bit needy, that's all. But that doesn't answer my question, why are you in that tree?"
She could feel her face contort with anger.
"I am in this tree because that dog wanted to attack me!" she growled, receiving what resembled an indignant expression from Snuffles, "And it... It doesn't do anything to you! It's just... There!"
"He," James said and she gave him an incredulous look, "He, not it."
Snuffles wagged its tail and barked as if agreeing with what he had just said.
Excellent, she thought, Now I've insulted a dog.
"And why would the dog want to attack you?" the other asked with what seemed a tinge of scepticism, "I mean, unless you did something to him..."
"I didn't do anything to it-him!" she cut off, close to hysterical, "I was having a completely innocent walk when he pounced at me coming from nowhere and then forced me to climb this tree in order to keep all my limbs intact!"
James eyed her with an arched eyebrow, "Are you sure about that?"
"YES!"
He sighed, "Well," glancing down at the now completely harmless animal, stroking him behind his ear one last time, "He seems to have calmed down now so... I don't know, maybe you could come down?"
Lily looked at the dog. He seemed pretty relaxed and showed no interest in her presence whatsoever, yet she couldn't say she was positive he wouldn't jump at her unexpectedly. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she got nothing but a wag of tail in response.
Strange, she thought, but decided not to wait for him to change his mind about her.
Cautiously, she started to descend the tree, trying to keep the dog under vigilance. So far so good. He was too busy enjoying James rubbing him behind his ear to notice her little stunt, which revealed to be much more difficult than she had expected. Her clothes got caught in branch after branch and she took an eternity to release them. Besides that, the wood was awfully slippery and she found herself several times close to falling on her face.
Right in front of Potter. No way.
Just as she was about to let go and let her feet hit the ground, a loud growling met her ears. Lily didn't have time to analyse her actions. Her reflexes kicked in at the last minute, a shriek escaping her lips. The dog's jaw missed her elbow for a millimetre and before she knew it, she was back in the tree top with her heart in her hands.
"Snuffles!" James admonished, yanking him back, "Bad dog!"
"KEEP HIM AWAY FROM ME!" the redhead squealed loud enough to startle both males. James was staring at her with an expression that suggested he wasn't quite sure about her current mental health. The dog winced but remained next to him, his head cocked to the side in wonder.
"Lily..." the raven-haired dared to take a step forward, "Maybe you should..."
"STAY BACK!" she snarled, goggling dangerously at him. James immediately returned to his original spot.
"All right, Lily. All right," James nodded, calmly, "Calm down. Just... Look, I'll come... To you..."
"Don't you dare take another step, James Potter!" Lily roared and he gulped. Her eyes held a fury he could not hold for too long and he sure didn't want to provoke her. Anyone who knew Lily also knew that to be a bad life decision.
Snuffles growled lowly but James ceased him with his palm.
"Well, obviously, Snuffles doesn't like you..." Lily scoffed, but he chose to ignore her, "...But I'm sure if I help you out of that tree..."
"And what makes you think you're so bloody special!" she retaliated, furious for some reason. The truth was she wasn't the type of person to have enemies, neither animal nor human, and the fact that this dog seemed to have special dislike towards her left her nervous. And why did he like James, of all people? They acted as though they were the best of friends...
And her wand just lying in there… Oh Merlin, she was doomed!
"I'm just trying to help you, Lily darling," James sang, eyeing her over his nose.
She was beyond fuming now. Because in all reality, he was the only one who could help her. Him, of all Hogwarts' population.
"Yes, well I don't need your help, Potter," she shot back, although even she couldn't believe her words at all. It was so obvious she did. So she added the only thing that came to her mind: "And stop calling me that."
She was beginning to feel more and more stupid as time went by. Surely, it was Potter's influence; breathing the same air for so long and all.
"Or you'll do what?" he grinned cheekily at her, "Climb from that tree and spank me?"
Lily could swear the dog had scoffed at James' comment but that was impossible. Maybe she was truly loosing her mind. Despite that, she wouldn't back down with her statement. No way in hell would she ever let him help her, she didn't care if she was dying or not, she just wouldn't. Anyone was preferable at this stage. Anyone but him.
She could perfectly get out of that situation by herself. Sure, it would take longer than if she had some help but she would manage. Besides, it was Potter. Anything was better than to own him that, or anything for that matter. It was bad enough to be constantly called his girl (when they hadn't had a single date) as well as feeling like his property. She didn't want to imagine what it would be if she owed him a favour. The payment possibilities were vast enough to provoke her physical pain.
In her brain.
"I just might, Potter," Lily challenged, "You just wait and see, the moment that... Bloody beast is gone, just…"
Wait. How did he know she couldn't just hex him? Had he noticed her wand on the grass? Her lips were suddenly shut and her eyes bulged. She tried not to look at the spot her precious wand was but as soon as she stopped talking, she realized it was already pointless.
James walked over to the bottom of the trunk. Oh bloody shite! Lily tried to lean over to peek at his whereabouts and again, her foot betrayed her. She almost slipped, letting out a yelp.
"Looking for this, love?" James was back, dangling a familiar piece of wood in between his fingers. Lily practically fainted.
"Give it back," she demanded automatically, already expecting the answer and gesture that came next:
"Come here and get it," James said, winking as he gave the wand a final twirl and shoved it in his cloak's inside pocket.
Lily blinked very, very hard, "Take the wand. Just take the dog as well."
It was hardly a reasonable proposition. And of course she would had never done it under normal circumstances, that is, ones in which her brain would be functioning. But her desperation was too great, her aching body was too unbearable and her patience was wearing off. Realising she had no control over the situation nor other options left was too much for one person to take in one day.
"No can do," the raven-haired said, feigning sadness with a sigh, "He seems to like it here, eh? Isn't that right, Snuffles? Such a nice afternoon, such beautiful sun… I would definitely want to stay here. In fact, I shall do just that."
As if coming to an epiphany, James sat down on the grass and Snuffles followed his example, laying down next to him, his snout between his paws.
Lily slapped a tug hard.
A/N: Ok, this is the first chapter. It's bigger than I expected but Lily's random thoughts just kept occupying a lot of space and before I knew it, I had 7 pages done =P
Hope you enjoyed! Please read and review! I won't be posting unless I get some feedback, there's no point… Your suggestions are welcome and I, unlike Snuffles, don't bite so be sure to leave some in your review if you like. Constructive criticism ONLY, thanks.
UPDATE: As I posted in my profile, I've unfortunately lost (maybe forever) chapter 2, which was already pretty much done. It makes me incredibly frustrated and sad and just, ugh. This to say that I will be updating the story as soon as I possibly can, after I've regained my inspiration. I'm also trying to remember anything from what I had written... I'm still hoping I can find the missing pen drive, but after so many months I'm ready to let that hope go...
Anyway, please be just a little patient and I promise I'll be posting soon. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/favorited/followed! Seriously made my day and I'm so happy you liked the first chapter. I will definitely continue, I just don't know when. Meanwhile, you can always check my other stories, one of which is set in the Marauders' Era as well. Many many apologies to every reader :( Believe me, I'm doing my best to get back on the writing train.