Chapter 3: Patrols and a New Friend
When I woke up the next morning, I got ready for class and rushed into the Heads' common room, hoping to get out before James made an appearance.
Too late.
James was standing by the entrance to the corridor a bit awkwardly. When he saw me, he started fidgeting nervously. Well, that would make sense, because I have been a little… 'violent' in the past with him. It would make anyone fidget. But I've only used a bit of violence….
I walked slowly towards him. I stopped when I was two feet away, an eyebrow raised in question. He'd better start talking soon, or else I might just use some pent up anger I've been holding in just for him since the last day of sixth year.
He fidgeted a bit more, adjusting his shoulder bag, and then started, "Evans… I really didn't mean to, erm, walk in on you like that. I just wanted to see if your room was anything like the one I had. Like the one you have at home. I'm truly sorry, and in the future I promise to knock. Please forgive me?"
James stuck out his right hand and looked so hopeful that I smiled a bit, but I covered it up pretty fast. I couldn't let him see me smiling at him. It would just fill his already puffy head with more ideas. I'm surprised it hasn't exploded yet. His head, I mean.
As I fought viciously to keep my face as straight as possible, I shook his hand. "Alright, then. And remember to knock!" James grinned in relief. The smile he held on his face wasn't full of its usual arrogance. Maybe James really was being sincere, for once in his life….
"And, James?" I called after him as he exited the wooden door. He turned around.
"Yeah, Evans?"
"Please, call me Lily," I answered to his questioning gaze.
He smiled again, and I felt a twitch—no flutter—in my stomach. It was the same feeling I had felt in Diagon Alley when I saw him in Flourish and Blotts. Was I really nauseous? Then James turned and walked away.
A few minutes later, I realized I was just standing there, the Heads' door wide open, thinking about what just happened. That was the second encounter with James Potter in one day, and he hadn't asked me out yet. His average was about four times a day. Sometimes he even asked me to marry him. That'swhere my violence came into the picture. Maybe he was growing up. I grinned stupidly to myself and quickly walked off to breakfast.
After classes were over at four o'clock, I flumped myself down against the stone wall, with Lauren, in the Charms corridor.
"We have so much homework to do! And we haven't even had a normal class yet! I mean, all we did today was listen to lectures about how our N.E.W.T.'s are very important, and they base the rest of our lives off them." Lauren was grumpy. She hated homework. I know, most people hate homework, but it was like a phobia to Lauren. The only reason she got half of it done was because I helped her with it. I rather enjoyed homework, actually.
What Lauren was really good at was swimming and Quidditch. In second year there was a swimming competition in the lake. The participants had to swim across and back. Lauren beat every single person by at least five minutes, including all the older students. She was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team (go figure) and played Keeper. All these things kept her in great shape. I was jealous of her from time to time. I had no talent in the art of athletics, while Lauren had a forklift full.
"Yeah, it stinks because I have Head duties, too! There will barely be any time to finish it!" I spoke out warilyE. I took my bag off of my shoulder. OOMPH . "Let's get started now on the three reports due tomorrow, and then if we finish we can do the three foot essay that's due next week."
"Okay, Lily," Lauren yawned. "Whatever, you say." Lauren always listened to me when we talked about homework.
We headed off towards the library to get started on our mound of homework. What were our professors thinking, giving us all that homework? Did they just want to kill us slowly with the overload, so we were mentally incapable of doing any job in the future that requires using a brain? All the work they gave us could have made us go crazy. I'm pretty sure Lauren and I were close to it a few times.
By seven forty-five Ewe had finished all three reports and started on the long essay. My watch went off, suddenly, and I jumped up and said, "I have patrols at eight, good luck without me." I made a grab for my books and stuffed them in my bag.
"See you, Lils," Lauren bade me. I hurried off, knowing too well that Lauren would not work on anything more without me there.
I stood at the entrance of the Great Hall and looked around, waiting for James to show up. I waited about five minutes before I saw James hurrying down the marble staircase. He was late. I prepared to grit my teeth in effort not to shout at him, as my instinct normally told me. But nothing happened. I didn't even feel angry.
"Hey, Ev—Lily," James said as he approached. He wasn't wearing his school robes, just his dress shirt, black pants, and a loosened tie that hung around his neck. Also, the Head Boy badge. I could see James' muscles clearly defined under his button-up shirt. I hastily looked away and murmured, "Hullo, James." Why do arrogant, cocky gits have to be so darn attractive? It makes it so much harder to hate them.
The parchment we got on the train gave us the route we would take around the castle. There was a map and everything. "How 'bout we have our own route? This one looks a bit confusing," James decided, squinting at the map over his wire rimmed glasses.
"But—" I started. I didn't want to neglect the map, since the route was used every year by every Head.
"But nothing," James cut me off. "Anyways, all the troublemakers will know by now the route of the Heads' and if you want to catch them then you have to go a way they aren't expecting." I bit my lip. He had a good reason, I just didn't want to agree. "Come on. What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done? This is nothing! It's just changing patrolling routes!"
Once again, in that day, James had that hopeful expression on and I started to laugh. He looked like a puppy begging, with his eyes big and his lower lip pouting a little.
"Please?" James pleaded.
I nodded and got control of my laughter. "I guess so."
He jumped up and spun around. "Yes! Now Lily is living on the edge," James shouted in a joking voice. He was acting completely stupid, and it was an extremely lame thing to say, but I couldn't help but smile.
"Come on," I said, repeating what James had said a minute ago. "Let's start towards the astronomy tower and work our way down to the dungeons. Or maybe we should start in the dungeons so we can cover the creepiest part first."
"Good idea. And could we take a stop at the loo on our way?" James said.
"Sure," I said. What else was I supposed to say? No you can't neglect your duties by using the loo. Shame on you! Despicable! Having to relieve yourself while you're on patrol! No, not really. I'd just sound like some annoying prat. Which some people at the school thought I was because I was smart, Head Girl, and incredibly pretty. No, I wasn't cocky. Or was I? Maybe James was starting to rub off on me. I would have to start performing those weird rituals they do in Africa or something to stop the spread of arrogant toerags.
We headed off in peaceful silence until we got to the restroom.
James entered and I said, "I'll just wait here." I leaned against the stone wall, picking at my fingernail absent-mindedly. I was so preoccupied I didn't even notice the approaching Slytherins.
"Hey, Mudblood," Severus Snape, a greasy, black haired, potions freak, spat at me. I mean, literally spat at me. His nasty mucus was all over my face, and I rubbed it off using my robes. He needed to try brushing his teeth sometime in the near future. If he didn't, his wonderful, yellow lemon drops might fall out. Which wouldn't be a horrible fate for old Snivellus, come to think of it. He wouldn't be able to speak very well, and if he tried to say "Mudblood" it might result in more spitting, but he would have to eat food that had been chewed up or applesauce or something soft. He might even refuse to eat it, starving himself. No, not a bad fate at all for the slimeball. "What are you doing out at this time of night? And in the dungeons, of all places. Wouldn't want to get into any trouble, would you?"
I saw the other three Slytherins, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa and Bellatrix Black, draw their wands from their cloaks. I tried to find my wand inside of my robe's pockets, but it wasn't there. I must have left it in the library with Lauren. What a stupid thing for me to do. Since I didn't have my wand, I tried using words to persuade them away.
"I'm Head Girl," I said, trying to keep the panic from my voice. "And you better put those wands away and go back to your common rooms before I give you a detention!"
"Oooo!" Bella said in a high, baby voice. "Is wittle Mudbwod Evans scawd of big Slytherins' wands? Maybe we should teach you a lesson on how they work."
Lucius raised his wand, pointed it at me, and yelled, "Crucio!" Pain filled every nerve in my body as I struggled against the curse. Then, quite suddenly, it stopped. My bones ached from the after effects of the torturing curse.
I looked up shakily to see all four Slytherins unconscious and James standing with his wand out, looking murderous.
"Are you alright?" he asked me, hurrying to my side, helping me up. I just nodded. I was scared and shaking uncontrollably. "No, you're not," James observed. "Let's go to Madam Pomfrey. She'll know what to do."
"No," I said firmly. I didn't want to be babied by Madam Pomfrey. And I certainly didn't want questions asked. Then they would know we went off of our patrolling route and chose our own way. Not that the professors would really care, but I wasn't thinking straight at a time like that. I was bloody tortured, for Christ's sake! "I mean, I'll feel better soon. I'll calm down. It's just the shock…" I shook my head in disbelief. "I didn't think that they would d-dare perform an Unforgivable Curse." Tears started to form in my eyes. I wasn't normally a crier, but I was really upset, if you catch my drift…. "Why is it, just because I'm Muggle-born that the dung piles think they have a right to just walk up to me and then… then…" My voice drifted off. "They are twisted. The lot of them. Let them rot in hell." I slid down the wall and started sobbing into my robes.
James, a little unsure of what to do, sat down beside me and said, "those Slytherins are gits. They think it is funny to do this kind of stuff. I'll never understand it. You're absolutely right. They are twisted. Anyone who would do that is. You're an amazing woman, and don't ever think you're not." I looked up into James' eyes. Those eyes weren't filled with their usual mischief, arrogance, and laughter. They were filled with concern for my wellbeing and something else I couldn't place.
I tried to smile, but my muscles wouldn't let me. With a soft voice I rarely used, I said, "Thank you, James." He grimaced.
"Friends?" he asked, putting out his hand for me to shake. I eyed his hand and thought better of it. I surprised both of us by giving him a friendly hug.
"Friends."
