Chapter 1: The Meeting Place
She's playful
The boring would warn you be careful of her brigade
In order to tame this relentless marauder
Move away from the parade
And she was walking on the tables in the glass house
Endearingly bedraggled in the wind
Subtle in her method of seduction
The twenty little tragedies begin
- "The Age of an Understatement" by the Last Shadow Puppets
"Are you sure about this, Padfoot?" James asked, eyeing the line in front of the club warily.
Sirius Black grinned at his friend, and patted his back roughly. "Trust me mate, it's where everyone is going these days. I consider it a great sacrifice that I waited for you to be back in England before venturing here."
James smiled crookedly at his friend. As much as he enjoyed Berlin, he had never been happier to be back on British soil. They joined the queue into the exclusive club, and watched as different people were let in and others were turned away. As they reached the front of the queue, the bored woman at the front asked. "Name?"
"We're not on the list." Sirius replied.
The woman raised a neatly plucked eyebrow at him. "Name."
"Sirius Black and James Potter."
They watched as she wrote their names down on a piece of parchment. She waved her wand and the parchment glowed green. She waved her wand again and the door opened. "Go on in."
Sirius and James looked at each other in confusion before stepping into the busy venue. It was beautifully decorated with rich colours and glass tables everywhere. The attention of the room centred on a large stage in the far corner, all the tables and the bar facing towards it. They both made their way to the bar and flagged down the young barmaid. James noticed that everyone employed in this place was young and beautiful, down to the man in the corner clearing up discarded drinks.
"What can I get you gentlemen?" The barmaid asked, smiling up at them. As she grabbed two tumblers to fill their orders, she asked them. "Are you two new here? I haven't seen you around before."
"It's our first time," Sirius confirmed, handing her a galleon.
"You should sit down then, Molly is up next. She's a crowd favourite." The barmaid smiled and gestured towards the stage where three girls were dancing.
"Cheers," James grinned and headed to the front of the stage. As they sat down, the three girls took a bow and headed off stage. The crowd of men (and some women) began to murmur excitedly as the lights were dimmed and curtains were drawn. The barmaid was not lying when she said that everyone seemed to anticipate the next act.
A man dressed in black robes that glittered in the spotlight came to the front of the stage and grinned. "Are you having a good night?" The crowd cheered. "Well, I know you'll have an even better night after our next act. Please welcome to the stage again, the electrifying, the ravishing, Moll la Maraudeur!"
The moment she stepped on stage, James' whole body froze. He recognised her instantly, and his heart started to hammer so painfully he wanted it to stop completely. Beside him, Sirius let out a loud expletive that only James heard as the crowd around him erupted in cheers.
Approximately 4 years, 8 months and 12 days ago, James had gotten into the first major argument he had had with his parents. It seemed that he finally did something that they both completely disagreed with, and they wanted to do everything they could to stop him.
"She's a lovely girl, James, she really is." His mother had pleaded. "And under any other circumstances, we would never object to you marrying her."
"But this isn't any circumstance, James." His father had chimed in. "It's becoming more and more dangerous out there, and marrying a muggleborn would only put you in harms way."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this," James had regarded his parents in horror as he shouted. Their calm voices only seemed to anger him more. "Out of all the people in the world, you would discriminate against Lily for something she can't help."
"It's not about her, don't say that." His mother had started crying. "It's about you. We're worried about what would happen to you."
James couldn't hear the rest, and he had left his parents' house in a fit of rage he had never felt before. He had no plans to break off his engagement with Lily, and he didn't care what his parents thought. He was an adult, he thought, and he would do whatever the hell he pleased.
The problem was that fits of childish opinions were easier thought when his parents were alive. However, when his father had passed away a week later, James was shell-shocked. For days he had sat alone, reliving the last words he had spoken to his father. How he angrily stomped away when his parents only wanted to help him. To save him. And no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, he could not shake away the guilt and the weight of his father's last request. Even thinking about it made James loath himself, but he knew he had to do it. He didn't want his mother to go the same way his father did. So the next day, he did the unthinkable.
He met Lily at their favourite coffee shop, and he found it extremely difficult to not break down as she beamed at him from her chair, as she stood up and kissed his cheek, then grabbed his hand tenderly and asked how he was doing. He had avoided her since he heard about his father, and he found himself marvelling at how dark and red her hair was, how her eyes glittered with affection when she looked into his. But he had made a promise to himself, and belatedly to his father. It was for his own good.
James felt like he was hallucinating at one point. How was it possible that Lily was up on that stage, wearing her Hogwarts school uniform? James knew it wasn't exactly her school uniform, since the skirt was a lot shorter and the shirt much tighter than he'd ever seen her wear. She was wearing a black tie like first-years before they got sorted, and her hair was held in loose pigtails. She beamed at the audience then pouted playfully. The music started and she began to sing. James watched in shock as she danced in one spot, singing about a Quidditch Captain with big blue eyes. She made her way down the stairs and sat down on the lap of a man in the first row. She ran her hand through his hair and continued to sing about the Captain, and how she wants him so, and needs him so, but he doesn't know, no no no. She stood up again, letting go of the man, and James felt a burst of anger when he saw the man still holding her exposed upper thigh, but Lily didn't seem to notice. She made her way up the stage again, subtly touching another man's shoulder as she passed by him. Finally, she made her way up the stairs and faced the audience. Almost at once, her eyes caught James', and he saw her pause so quickly no one else had noticed. She ended her song in a high note, lifting her hand to her head. The crowd around him erupted, and James stood up quickly, Sirius, who seemed to be just as shocked as James, following him.
"Mate, you alright?" Sirius asked tentatively as they waded through the crowd. "I swear, I didn't know. If I did…"
James grunted and made his way to the bar. The barmaid smiled as they approached.
"I need to speak to Lily Evans." James said immediately.
The barmaid frowned. "Who?"
"Lily Evans. She was just on stage."
The barmaid shook her head. "Do you mean Molly?"
"Yes, her. Whatever." James resisted the urge to shake the barmaid.
"The performers don't really meet the audience," She said slowly. "And just so you know, Molly is one of our most… popular girls. She's already taken for the next fortnight."
Sirius jumped in at the look on James' face. "We're old friends of her. Sirius Black and James Potter."
"Er-" The barmaid looked around, and then called over a man in a lime green coat circulating the place. "Magnus, these two men say they know Molly. They want to speak to her."
The man eyed them both. "What are your names?"
"James Potter, Sirius Black." Sirius spoke up.
The man nodded. "I'll let her know."
As soon as Lily left the stage, she collapsed on the floor and held in a sob. He was here, she had seen her, and he sure as hell had seen her. The flood of emotion she had suppressed for years came flooding back, and she found it hard to concentrate on the dancer that crouched near her, looking concerned.
Shakily, she got up and brushed through the crowds backstage until she reached her dressing room. She couldn't dwell on this, not right now. She took off her costume slowly, and donned on her next one. She ignored her pale reflection in the mirror, took down her pigtails and brushed through her hair just as Magnus came in.
"Sweetheart, two men are at the bar asking for you." Magnus said.
"I thought there would be," Lily sighed. "I'll be out in a minute."
Magnus nodded. "You only have ten minutes before you're next on, sweetheart, remember."
"Don't worry." Lily smiled and straightened. She followed Magnus out and in through the crowds, ignoring the lustful looks she was getting as she passed by. Lily was not the prettiest girl in the show, not by a long shot, but it didn't seem to matter to them. She was there, in touching distance, and that's all these men seemed to care about.
James watched as Lily made her way through the crowd. She was wearing a dark blue dress, the sort that tied from the side, and her hair was down. Closer up, he could see that her lips were stained dark red, a colour he could never imagine his Lily wearing. But this wasn't his Lily.
"Sirius," Lily smiled, rising on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She ignored James completely, and turned towards the bar.
"You were brill today, Moll." The barmaid smiled at Lily.
"Oh darling, I'd believe you more if you didn't say that every day." Lily grinned at her. "Yellow dragon, on ice. Drink, Sirius?"
"Er- sure." Sirius looked at James, who was regarding Lily stonily.
"Make that two, Tilly."
As Tilly handed Lily the two drinks, Lily tipped a handful of sickles on the counter.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Moll? You don't have to pay."
"And how many times do I have to tell you, darling, that I don't take anything for free." Lily smiled at the girl, and then finally turned towards James. "What do you want?"
"Hello, Lily. It's nice to see you too." James gritted his teeth.
"What do you want, Potter?" Lily replied coolly.
Sirius spoke up. "What are you doing here, Lily? What happened to the job in the Prophet?"
Lily turned to Sirius. "It's funny how quickly they sack you when you're a mudblood who severed ties with a prominent wizarding family."
James ignored the spasm of guilt. "Don't call yourself that."
Lily regarded him slowly, and then turned back to Sirius. "I didn't have many other options."
"You could have owled me, or Remus, or your friends." Sirius frowned.
"I learnt quite quickly not to put my entire life into someone else's hands. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"And by that you mean wearing too-short skirts and being ogled by men?" James hissed.
Lily's eyes flickered momentarily, and then turned icy. "Don't criticise my choices, James, and I won't judge you for yours."
James glared. "I need to speak to you privately. Or are you too busy tonight?"
For the first time, she smiled at him, ignoring his tone. "Oh darling, even if I wasn't I don't think you can afford me."
"Molly!" A voice behind her spoke, and Lily saw Magnus approaching them.
"Duty calls," Lily smiled at Sirius. "Owl me sometime, I'd love to catch up." Then, she turned to Magnus. "Mag, this young man here wants to speak to me privately." Lily said condescendingly.
Magnus looked at James, who was still glaring at Lily, and then spoke to her. "I'll take care of it. Go."
Approximately 4 years, 8 months and 3 days ago, Lily listened numbly as James wittered about his father and about them. Lily did not cry. In fact, she wasn't sure she was able to cry. She felt as if he had taken the part of her that could cry over being hurt. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she dealt with it the same way she dealt with any pain. She held herself straighter, her face frozen in an expression of complete passivity. As he ended his spiel with a "I'm so sorry, Lily. I really am." Lily met his gaze. She nodded, and gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"I understand." Lily said slowly, and stood up. She looked down at her hand and took off the beautiful sapphire ring he had given her only two weeks ago with the promise of forever.
She left without another word. She wasn't lying either, she completely understood why James had decided to break off their engagement. At least, she did at the time. Hadn't it happened before? Sev was her very best friend, the one person she trusted more than anyone, and he had decided that her blood was poison. James could disguise his fear with familial obligation, but she was a clever witch. She knew, and she understood.
However, it wasn't until she was sacked from the Prophet that things really hit home. James was her security blanket. If anything would happen, he was always there to hoist her up again. But, with him gone it became steadily obvious that she was stupid. She should have had a plan B. No matter how many NEWTs she had, or whether she was both Prefect and Head Girl, the magical world seemed to want to distance itself from her. It didn't help that as soon as she was gone, the Daily Prophet had printed her estrangement from James in their gossip column.
After trawling through failed job applications, Lily finally settled for a job as a shop assistant in a small shop in Knockturn Alley. To compensate for the abysmal wage, she was allowed to live in the small office over the shop. She had stayed in that shop for over a year, growing disenchanted with the Magical world. She ignored letters from James, Remus, Mary, even the one she got from Sev after the Prophet article. She was embarrassed and angry. It became much easier to hate James and the position he had put her in the longer she had slept in the mouldy office, living off tins of tomatoes and washing herself with the small basin in the room.
Magnus found her in a dodgy nightclub in Hogsmeade. After a particularly gruelling shift at work, she headed out with her colleagues to get smashed. She danced until sweat was dripping down her back, and drank so many pints of lager that her mouth started to taste bitter. As she left the club, a man about her height approached her with a business card. He assured that he wasn't about to murder her, and offered her a job. Lily took the card with no intention of calling him. It was only when she got home and actually looked at the card that she faltered.
The Occult
Magnus Burbage
Talent Acquisition and Manager
The Occult was the place to be on weekends. It was known for its wide-selection of exotic drinks, tasteful and handpicked clientele, and of course its women. The Occult women came in all shapes and sizes to cater to any taste, and were known for their amazing talents and coquettishness. If you were a dancer, singer or performer in the wizarding world, you start at the Occult.
Lily spent a fortnight studying the card, debating the prospects of working in a place full of the philandering rich and famous. As much as she hated her job, it provided a sort of stability. The Occult would be much more exciting, she knew, but what would happen to her if they decided she wasn't what they wanted anymore? The more she thought about it, the more it terrified her. If she got too old, or lost too much weight she would be on her own again. But hadn't she done that before? Lily realised that she could not leave in fear for another year, and the thought of her staying in the dingy flat all her life made her ill. So, channelling whatever Gryffindor she had in her, she tore off a piece of parchment and wrote,
Magnus,
Thank you for your offer. I would like to accept your proposal, but under a few conditions…
A/N: Haha this is simultaneously what I love and hate about fanfiction. And I wrote it. Please review, let me know what you think.