The Art of War
'I told you that I loved you; that I'll always be here for you; that I will always stand behind you, ready to catch you if you fall. I lied.'
Chapter 2
'Where are you staying now, Lily? If you don't mind me asking, of course.' Mrs Potter had jumped straight into her 'concerned mother' mode, flustering around Lily like bees around a honey pot.
'Err . . . with my sister,' Lily quickly answered, fabricating her lies as quickly as her mind would work.
'No you're not,' James said automatically. 'You two don't get along.'
'How do you . . .' she started to say, but trailed off as she realised that they answer was obvious.
'I overheard you talking,' he mumbled.
'You're more than welcome to stay here!' Mrs Potter said, choosing to ignore her sons comment. 'You can stay in one of the guest rooms; I think you'd find it very comfortable.'
'Would that be okay with you, James?' Lily asked timidly, too tired to fight what she knew would be a loosing battle, but instead turning the decision from her to James.
'Okay? It would be better than okay; it would be very, very okay with me,' James stuttered.
'Then it's settled!' Mr Potter boomed, a smile on his face at the thought of having more youth in the house, something he said had kept him young at heart for so long. 'You can stay in the room next to the one James and Sirius share, if you wish. Then it's sorted! James will show you there now, then, won't you James.'
'It would be my honour,' James said, jumping up from the sofa and offering Lily his arm like a true gentleman.
xx
She could hear them laughing even thought between them lay a thick wall that was covered in expensive looking silk in possibly the brightest white she had even seen. The floors were wooden, with a sofa Indian ink blue rug in the centre of the room, at the end of which the ornately carved posts of the oak four poster bed started, before winding into a structure that dominated the large room. A matching wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside table were placed around the edges of the room, each with a few extra items, including a large rocking chair and a lamp that bathed the room in a warm glow, all of which seemed to add a homely touch to the room.
'Be strong,' she whispered to herself as she got under the silk covers of the bed, fully clothed, as she had nothing else to wear. 'Everything will be okay.'
The laughter continued, a noise she couldn't seem to block out of her head as she tried to drift off to sleep. Like a thick fog, it clogged up her mind, making it impossible to think about anything else, ringing thought her ears, louder and louder with every passing second. Swirling like angry water, thrashing against the barriers that tried to stop it spreading, busting the banks, but still churning. Faster and faster, like a mesmerising dance; she could almost see the coloured lights flashing in front of her closed eyes; blinding her for a second, only to be blinded again a second later, leaving behind their image when she blinked as a constant reminder.
'Just . . . just stop it!' she sobbed, burying her face into the soft pillow in an attempt to block out the images. 'Leave me alone . . .'
xx
The bright, early morning light came streaming thought the windows as Juliet draw the thin, silk curtains, fastening them back with the matching ties, before placing a tray laden with what Lily could only assume was her breakfast on the bedside table.
'Thank you, Juliet,' Lily said with a smile, which was returned before Juliet quickly exited, to finish the rest of her morning chores, Lily presumed.
She untangled herself from the bedclothes that, thanks to a night of fitful sleep, were wrapped tightly around her whole body like a cocoon, and then lifted the tray over to the bed and tucked into the large, but very satisfying breakfast.
She rose slowly from the bed when she had finally finished, and headed towards the adjoining bathroom. For the first time in what felt like years, she looked at her reflection in the floor length mirror that took up about half of one of four walls in the bathroom, and what she saw was not a sight that she was particularly happy with. Her eyes still betrayed her with the tell-tale faint red rims from her fitful, tear-filled sleep, and under them were two dark bruises that reflected how much sleep she had obtained the previous night. Running a hand thought her hair, she couldn't help but notice how greasy it both felt and looked as it hung limply by the sides of her face, instead of being its usually bouncy self, but it was nothing that a good wash couldn't fix. Lastly, she couldn't drag her eyes away from the worry that was clearly shown in her eyes; an open book, James had once called her, and she could now see that he was right. How she ever thought that she could hide her feelings from the world and pretend nothing was wrong, she didn't know, but she decided, there and then, that she would try her hardest to become harder to read.
Quickly, she undressed and was in and out of the steaming shower quicker that she usually would have been, not wanting to waste any time, and seeing no point in wasting time as she once had.
'Lily?' There was a knock at the door, before the handle was turned and James came walking in, already dressed for the day and with a parcel wrapped in brown paper in his hands. Lily emerged from the bathroom; dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing the previous day, a towel in her hand as she tried to dry her hair. James' eyes looked her up and down, before finally resting with a gaze that locked on her eyes. 'Mother wanted me to give you this; said it might come in handy?' He placed the parcel carefully on the bed near the end. 'Can I get you anything?'
'No thanks,' Lily said with a smile. 'Breakfast was wonderful. Juliet really out does herself.'
'Oh, she only serves, though does her job very well. We have kitchen staff to cook,' James answered automatically, making sure to give the credit to those who deserved it.
'Do you realised how stuck up you sound?' Lily asked with a laugh. 'I can certainly see why you act as you do, though.'
'I'm guessing very. And just how do I act?' He took a seat at the end of her bed.
'Like a spoilt brat!'
'I do not!'
'Yes you do. You're always walking around Hogwarts with your head in the air like you're better than everyone else.'
'Well it's not exactly my fault that I am. I can't help my heritage.'
'You're just like all those Slytherins with their pureblood bullshit! You think you're better than everyone because who your parents are, and don't deny it, Potter! You expect people to bow down to you because they're inferior, just like the Slytherins'
'I am nothing like them!'
'Then stop acting like them.'
'Maybe I will.'
'You should!'
'Then I shall!'
'Good.'
'Glad you agree.'
'JAAAAAAAMES! YOU SAID YOU'D ONLY BE A MINUTE!!!!' The sound of Sirius yelling though the wall, accompanied by a series of loud thumping on the wall wasn't a sound that could easily be ignored.
'I have to go; we're playing quidditch. You're welcomed to join us.' He spoke as if they hadn't been arguing just a few seconds ago, choosing to push it behind them instead of lingering on it.
'No thanks,' Lily replied politely. 'I don't fly.'
'Maybe some other time. I'll see you at lunch, then.' He let himself out.
The door clicked as it closed, and at the sound Lily stretched across the bed to retrieve her package. She carefully opened it without tearing the paper to find a neatly folded summer dress made of a delicate looking silk. The colour was the most unique shade of blue she had ever seen; a beautiful shade of sky blue that, when closer examined, has strands of hundred shades of blue running though it; royal blue, sapphire, Indian ink blue, the list went on, to create the perfect blend of one colour imaginable.
On top lay a note wrote in very elegant, curly handwriting;
'I thought you might need this,
Alice Potter'
Looking down on the creased blouse she had slept in, as well as wore the previous day, Lily couldn't help but feel grateful toward the woman for treating her with more care than necessary as she carefully unbuttoned her blouse before sliding the soft material over hear head. Bending down, she slid her worn jeans off, before folding both items of clothing she had removed with more care that she usually would have, trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but instead she found herself setting down the folded clothes and taking a seat on the end of her bed, staring out of the wide window through which light was spilling into the room.
There was a perfect view of the grounds of the Potter's house from her window, and from where she sat they seemed to stretch on forever. Quite a large portion was given over to a quidditch pitch, complete with a matching set of rings on either end. She could just make out two blares of bright red, with a darker red ball being passed between them that she rightfully assumed were Sirius and James going through a series of quidditch drills that she was sure she would never understand, even if they were explained to her, but nonetheless she enjoyed watching them as they changed positions, still keeping the ball in the air, passing it too and fro.
well that was updated faster than i thought id get it done xD Thanks to my lovely reviews, especially my darling LOG [you don't hate me [: ]
so.. did you like that chapter? it isnt my favourite ]: didnt leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. aww. anyway, if you liked it [or didnt] reviews would be much appriciated and stuff..
