"Girl Got Game"
By: Liebling
Updated On: 1 July 2006
Chapter Six
"Danielle's Letter"
:-:
I hade succeeded in surviving two whole weeks at Hogwarts. I better receive good karma for this. Stupid arse owes me, anyways…
My uncle, indeed eventually wrote me when heard about my successful tryouts "through the Hogwarts' parents' grapevine" or something rather. More importantly, his letter was also accompanied by a rather large box of chocolates that I was pleased to devour once I was alone in the comfort of my dorm.
Remus had, after having laughed profusely at my spectacular blunder with James in Transfiguration, comforted me and even offered me a Chocolate Frog. I have no idea where he got it. He just sort of pulled it out of nowhere and started to hand me candy. Later, I asked him if he had anymore and BAM he pulls out another six. The boy is like a walking vending machine full of magical, and sometimes dangerous, candies.
I'm not complaining or anything, believe me. He's a rather nifty friend to have around, you know?
Remus said that he would attempt to smooth things over with James while they were at Hogsmeade together with the rest of the group.
"Group?" I repeated.
"Sirius, James, Peter and myself," he told me.
Finally, I said exasperated, "Do you guys to everything together?"
He shrugged me off with a sly grin, "It's a Marauder thing,"
Marauder? Ha, what a funny word. As a matter of fact, I think I've heard it before—Great Scott, MARAUDER! AAGH! It was a word from my list! I nearly tripped over my feet with this strange excitement as Remus walked down the hall. I pulled out the old parchment from out of my pocket and wrote:
Subjects: Remus Lupin (Moony), Sirius Black (Padfoot), Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter…have formed a fraternity club of some sorts called the Marauders!
Marauders was underlined numerous times out of my excitement. All right, so this meant that my four dorm-mates were in some club and…hey! Everyone was in a club and I wasn't! That was totally mean and socially excluding! Stupid jerks!
Moodily, I retired for the evening with thoughts of Hogsmeade running through my mind as I slept.
Which wasn't long.
I was brutally awoken at the crack of dawn by Sirius practically attacking me and throwing me off of my bed. I mean, in all seriousness, the sun was still asleep, so why wasn't I? Gaah!
"Time for the season's first Gryffindor Quidditch practice!" he shrilly sang at the top of his bloody lungs as he went through the entire boys' dorm in search of his teammates. "Practice makes perfect, therefore we must practice, practice, practice if we want to beat the slimy Slytherin scum! Woohoo!"
"He was never this energetic before he became captain," Remus mumbled. I had almost forgotten that he was the team manager. "Really wish that he hadn't changed…"
I had a cramp in my side and I turned under the covers and snuggled deeply into my pillow until Sirius came back and whipped them off my body.
I muttered something in Danish—a funny little phrase that I had picked up from a friend of a friend when I was the Netherlands on vacation several years ago. I'm not quite sure what it meant…but it had sounded awfully rude when Cheryl's cousin Whatsername had yelled it at her older brother…
"Jeez, no need to go all Spanish on us,"
Mumble grumble, grumble mumble…
I could here everyone getting ready, even Remus, and I attempted to stretch out that stitch in my side until the drawings around my bed were thrown back once again.
"Come on, Evans—OOMPH, DAMN IT!"
I really hadn't meant to kick James Potter in the stomach, honestly. He had just reached out and grabbed my side that must've been sore from sleeping on it funny. My legs just sort of spazzed out erratically and nailed him right in the abdomen.
"Sorry!" I gushed, suddenly wide-awake, but James grunted and pushed me backwards off the bed into a tangle of limbs on the floor wrapped around the torn drapery. He gnarled something particularly nasty under his breath.
Well, I did apologise to say in the least…
"You're mad, Evans!" He snapped, "I don't know what the bloody hell Sirius was thinking when he let such a psycho on a team!"
I was tempted to kick him again, this time only lower, but I feigned ignorance and continued to look for my Quidditch practice clothes in my trunk.
"I don't know what the hell your problem is," he glowered, still clutching his side. I suppose he was still a bit…displeased…still after the Transfiguration incident, "But I am so f—" I closed my ears to this little bit, "—ing tired of dealing with all of this shit you seem to be handing out like candy!" Potter slammed the door.
Now that was a bit harsh. More than a bit, actually. I was torn between continuing to stand there, stunned or breaking out into tears. I chose the former.
A quarter of an hour later, I found myself down on the Quidditch pitch for the second time in the two weeks that I had been at Hogwarts. James was at the far end of the team line, and me on the other.
I didn't look at him or anywhere in his direction. In fact, I was pretty darn sure that my eyes had been seared shut and I was close to falling asleep on my feet. One of the teammates nudged me as Sirius walked by in a rather long monologue about the love of Quidditch or something.
"Twenty laps, people!" he cried out. Being Quidditch captain must've given him a mad sense of power.
"Are you mental?" only I had responded, everyone else had rolled their eyes, "It's bloody well six in the morning!"
The team turned to see who dared to challenge their beloved(?) captain who slowly turned on heel and marched over to me.
"Evans," he said, proudly, and with an oddly straight face, "I…am the captain. I am King of Quidditch, this pitch is my kingdom and my word is law,"
What an ego trip, I noticed. When there weren't any girls around to distract him, he was like an evil dictator with a broom in one hand and a club in the other. Very medieval.
"When I say jump, you say, 'how high?' So jump,"
"Screw you," I yawned.
He coughed, "Let's try this again. When I say run, you say, 'how far?' Run,"
"Go to hell," I am just that darn adorable in the morning. And to think that just two weeks ago I had trouble forming sentences around him.
"Well," Sirius huffed as the rest of the team tittered amusedly, "It seems that Mr. Evans here is a smart arse. I am vaguely foreseeing problems with this,"
Me? A smart arse? Perish the thought! I leaned my forehead against my broom and muttered out, "I'm sure the Divinations teacher will be delighted to hear all about it," I was awfully witty at six-something rather in the morning…
"On your brooms, team! Evans has just earned everyone an extra twenty minutes of practice!" It's hard to believe that Sirius was so serious about Quidditch.
Pun.
Everyone groaned.
"But that'll run into breakfast!" someone complained.
Oops.
"Thanks a lot, Evans," someone else hissed.
Wow, am I just amazing at making new friends or what?
An hour and twenty minutes later, I made the excuse for having to re-lace my boots outside of the locker room while everyone else showered for breakfast.
It looked like I was going to miss breakfast in order to get a more private shower.
My stomach grumbled.
Greeeeat.
Classes passed by uneventfully. Well, actually, there was this funny incident in Transfiguration with a canary…but that's a story for another time.
Eagerly, I waited in the common room for Joanna who would be showing me around Hogsmeade while Remus tried to smooth things over with Potter. Hmph. Fat chance at that, I say.
Jo (with electric blue curls in her hair) and I met Nigel outside on the grounds where everyone was climbing into the horseless carriages. In our carriage, however, there already was an occupant.
"Hello, Severus," Nigel said coolly.
"Lovegood," he replied with the same tone.
I nearly tripped on the step. Severus Snape was the person the Marauders (the stupid fraternity boys) had warned me about on the train ride. He was leaning against the window and watching me in the doorway like he had half-expected us to show up before I even knew what carriage I would have chosen.
"Hullo!" Jo said brightly, ignoring the high amount of tension. She was cool like that, I guess.
Both boys' eyes flashed over to her as she took her seat. I attempted to quickly scramble to the other side next to Nigel before Jo, but alas, Karma still hated me.
I was sitting next to Severus Snape.
Nigel and Jo were talking cordially between themselves and I was too afraid to look anywhere but out the window. I could feel Snape's eyes boring into the side of my head just like they had when we first met outside of the loo two weeks ago. I fiddled with the hem of my sleeves nervously. I wished that Jo or Nigel could have sensed my discomfort and brought me into their private conversation.
After ten rather awkward minutes next to this creepy Slytherin fellow, I could see the town approaching through the window and I sighed in relief.
"Ah, we're here!" said Jo as Nigel crawled out before of her. He helped her off the carriage step like a real gentleman and reminded me of how much I wished a guy would do that for me…
I sighed again, but this time in defeat and slowly followed them out the carriage until I heard a voice behind me whisper:
"I know what you are,"
If only I could have seen my face that very second. I tumbled out of the carriage and face-planted into the ground. Getting back up, I ignored Joanna and Nigel asking me if I was alright and ran all the way to the village on my own and didn't stop until I nearly ran into a girl.
"Sorry," I said, hurriedly and attempted to keep going.
"Li Evans!" she said, grabbing my arm in an iron grip and pulled me back.
I turned around—not that I really had an option, mind you—and saw a strangely familiar face.
"Oh, hi, um…Angie?"
"Agnes," she corrected, not deterred and throwing her blonde curls back over her shoulder, "How are you liking Hogwarts so far?" Agnes had looped an arm through mine and was leading me away. Again, I didn't really get an option or opinion in this.
"It's…nice," I said delicately, "Are you, um, having a nice day?"
"The absolute best," she told me heartily, "Would you like to buy me a drink at the Three Broomsticks?"
The Whoseamawhatsits now?
"Actually," I said, pulling my arm free, "I've…gotta go check something,"
I had more important things to worry about. For one, Severus Snape, a boy I had only seen twice "knew what I was". He had said what, not who. Meaning that I was in a whole truckload of trouble. And second, I think a girl was hitting me on.
"Oh," Agnes looked disappointed, "Would you like me to come with you?"
"No, no, I've got it," I said almost too quickly, "Thank you anyways. Bye now!"
I ran even faster than I when I had run away from Snape and the carriage. That stitch in my side had returned and I slowed my pace to knead it out of my right side. I went past a place called Zonko's where I saw the Marauders out marauding or doing whatever Marauders did through the front window. Then there was a place called the Hog's Head that sounded absolutely appealing.
Not.
I felt bad for abandoning Jo and Nigel like I had…but I could already sense the danger of the situation. I couldn't find them without running into Agnes again who would be looking to pester me into buying her a drink or something. I couldn't hang out with Remus either, because he had taking some blood oath or some pledge of allegiance to these bloody Marauder folks. And James Potter was already royally pissed off at me.
"Stupid Potter," I muttered to myself, passing an alley. He was always ruining everything.
"Excuse me," said a heavily accented voice from the alleyway.
I leapt out of my skin and yelped loudly in pain when I knocked over a large dustbin.
"Désolé!" a face appeared out of the shadows revealing sky-blue eyes and dark chocolate brown hair, "Did you say…Potter?" She helped me to my feet, "James Potter?"
I could recognise that accent anywhere…this woman was from the east of France.
Beauxbatons.
I had wondered why I had never seen her before; she looked about my age.
"Oui," was my immediate answer. The woman looked surprised by my response, "Quoi?"
"Vous parlez francais?"
"Mais oui," Of course, I answered, "Je suis d'Arques," I'm from Arques. Not technically true, since I had moved away from Arques over the summer, but for argument's sake, I lived in France.
It was felt wonderful being able to converse with someone in French.
"Ah! C'est très beau là! Mais, Je suis ici pour chercher James," she told me that Arques was a lovely place and that she was looking for James.
I wanted to laugh at the thought of someone—a girl no less—actually wanting to be in the same company as James. However, I was not one to judge (poor girl must have been delusional), I nodded and pointed up the street, "He's just up the road a bit," I said, slipping out of my second language on accident, "I can go get him for—"
"Ah, non merci," she said, "I just…would yoo mind…to give zis to 'im? S'il vous plaît?" I had just noticed the piece of paper she had been twisting between her hands nervously. It had many creases on its surface that showed she had been twisting it for a while.
"Yes, of course," I said, taking the envelope she held out to me.
"Merci," she said and turned to leave. On afterthought, she turned back to face me, "Comment vous appellez-vous?"
"Je m'appelle Li," I introduced myself. My second name had been quite an adaptation at school… "Et vous?"
The young woman smiled at me and said, "Je m'appelle Danielle. Enchanter, Li, et au revoir," she waved goodbye to me politely as she apparated away, leaving me stunned.
I had just met Danielle.
James' Danielle.
Oh…my…giddy…aunt.
I had found a nice little restaurant/café-type place called the Three Broomsticks that Agnes had mentioned and I ordered myself a tall glass of Butterbeer.
I looked at the envelope Danielle had given me, temptation screaming at me to open it and just take a small little peak inside. James would never notice, right?
Right.
There were plenty of faded parchment envelopes that I could use to replace the old one, right?
Right.
Therefore, I would finally be able to solve the mystery between James and Danielle and no one would know but me, right?
Right.
Truthfully, I was going to open Danielle's letter to James, and as much as I would love to say that it was the voice of reason (who'd been on vacation recently) that told me not to open it would be lying. My finger had barely touched the seal when I heard someone say,
"There you are, Li!" It was Joanna and Nigel who had both found me in the back of the room, "We've been awfully worried about you,"
"Is everything alright?" Nigel asked.
"Y-yes," I breathed, "Just had to fire-call somebody," I lied and pocketed the letter, hoping that neither saw, "Shall we go, um, somewhere…?" I had half a mind to forget about that damn envelope.
For the rest of the Hogsmeade trip, there was no Agnes, no Snape, and no James Potter to give the letter to.
It was that night when Sirius, Remus, Peter and James were all crowded around in the common room, when I was faced with the dilemma with what to do with Danielle's Letter.
Again.
Not the capital L—it was just that big.
It sat there, innocently, across from me on my bed.
Danielle's Letter.
I had studied the surface of the envelope like it was the world's greatest marvel. It was a simple four by six sachet, the colour of sand, felt heavy enough to be holding at least two scrolls of parchment, and had James Potter in simple neat cursive on the front. There was no wax seal, or personal emblem on any side of it.
Why couldn't I open the damn thing?
"Hey, Li?" I heard Remus say through my drawings, "We've got practice right after dinner so bring your stuff to the Great Hall, okay?"
"Sure," I called out, my eyes not leaving the envelope still.
God, I was so nosy.
Suddenly, I grimaced as a pain shot out of my right side of my abdomen. I must've been hungrier than I thought. I had been having that pain all day long and was tempted to go to Madam Pomfrey.
Temptation was just as bad as Karma.
All of the students, including the Gryffindor Quidditch players, had come and gone to the Great Hall and I was soon to follow.
I placed the unopened envelope on James' nightstand.
I was frustrated, to say in the least, that I had two Quidditch practices in one measly little day. How was I supposed to do all of my homework? I have (or rather, had) a life of my own, thank you!
Sirius had decided to skip the "I love Quidditch more than you do," monologue and this time when he said "Twenty laps" I proudly kept my mouth shut.
"Evans, I want you, James, and Victor to practice passing over near the far stands,"
I never really understood why I was the only one being called by their surname. Maybe I was the outsider.
Sighing—I sigh a lot, have you noticed?—I flew the other end of the pitch with Potter and Bishop to do some chaser exercises.
It bothered me that in just an hour James Potter would be reading Danielle's Letter. She seemed like such a nice, if not slightly flustered, person and I couldn't help but wonder—
"Keep up, Evans! You're holding us up!"
—how such an arsehole like James won her over.
I gripped my broom tightly and opened my mouth to snarl out something in his general direction, but something in my stomach wrenched again painfully and I doubled over on my broom, missing the quaffle that Victor Bishop passed my way.
It happened again and this time I nearly flew into the stands. It felt like someone was squeezing a particularly needed organ.
Maybe the liver or something?
Another painful churl nearly sent me into the commentator's box.
It didn't fully register in my mind that if I were to fall, I just might be killed. Because, of course, the only thing I was thinking at the time was: OH MY GOD I NEVER FINISHED MY TRANSFIGURATION HOMEWORK! My mind has strange ways of avoiding the severity of certain situations…
The strange feeling in my abdomen was turning into a painful sensation and I couldn't help but let out another gasp as I attempted to land. The ground was so…far…away…I suddenly felt dizzy as my vision swarmed.
"Evans, are you all right?" Sirius yelled from another end of the field.
"Uugghh…"
Translation: No, I do not feel well, you thickheaded no-nothing twit. Does it look like I'm all right? I'm practically falling off my broom here!
Blimey O'Reily, I was falling off my broom! I wanted to scream for help while I also tried to angle myself towards the ground so that I could steer and land safely but this ruddy pain in my side made me want to twist, turn, and churl my stomach in the most imaginative and creative ways that I highly doubted were possible. But my pride would not allow me to ask for help.
"DAMN IT, WOULD SOMEBODY HELP ME?"
Screw that.
A sudden updraft of the strong winds tipped my broom easily because I had let go of the handle to clutch my stomach. I tumbled gracelessly to the ground, nearly snapping my broom, and the team landed and rushed to my side.
I resisted saying the ever popular "I've fallen and I can't get up" phrase. Tempting, but not the most appropriate time.
Jeebes, they must have been cramps for hell or something. I was writhing out in pain and agony on the grass, biting my tongue so I didn't say something ridiculous.
"Good gravy, just start digging my grave already and tell my bloody uncle that it was all his fault!"
Again, too late for that, I suppose.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Evans?"
How nice of you, Sirius.
"He's possessed!"
Again, I love the concern for my well being that was shown.
"Feels like…" I tried to think of something tangible to be used to describe my current situation while digging my hands into my right side as hard as possible, "Cornish Pixies are having a field day in my intestines. On a sugar-high." I was able to gasp out and pulled myself up to my knees and curled over, "Or a dozen hippogriffs learning the Electric Slide in combat boots. Take your bloody pick."
"What's an electric slide…?"
"Come on, he's faking it," A foot pushed me lightly back to the ground and I rolled on my back like a turtle that rocked back and forth, stuck and clearly annoyed.
Remind me to kill James when I have an extra moment and functioning organs later, okay?
"No, I really think that something's wrong with him," My eyes were closed, but I heard Remus say so thoughtfully.
"Then could we please stop staring at me and actually do something?" I yelled.
It was true. The six other team members, and Remus the manager, were circling me as I squirmed and writhed like a pathetic fish out of water, just pointing and talking amiably amongst themselves. If I could stand I would so make them eat bludgers and ask them to tell me how it feels.
James would get two because he kicked me and said that I was faking it.
"Um…" was the universal response I heard from around me.
I was surrounded by idiots.
"For the love of—fine," I heard James huff, annoyed. I peaked open my eyes to see James conjure a stretcher. "Help me roll him on,"
I grunted. I felt like a molested log as hands placed themselves all over me and rolled me onto the white stretcher. Normally, incredibly cute men's hands all over me wouldn't bother me too much. But now? With my groaning and twitching of pain and agony? Not so much…
The stretcher suddenly picked up and I, again, curled onto my side and started shaking. I hadn't realised how sweaty and feverish I was. I had thought that it was just regular sweat from practice.
Well this had turned out to be a wonderful idea: "Sure, John! I have absolutely no problem moving to another country and transferring to a school where I have no friends whatsoever! And of course it's no problem pretending to be a boy just so I can play Quidditch!"
Don't I have a shred of decent Karma in me?
"Well, um, see you guys later!" Sirius called out. I suddenly realised that it was James' wand that was being used to keep the stretcher aloft. "We've got another fourty minutes of practice left!"
I was alone.
With James Potter.
Merde.
:-:
-:TBC:-
A/N:
A/N: Wow, your reviews make me all warm and fuzzy inside ^_^ More warm and fuzzy feelings often come from nice long reviews that contribute to quicker updates…:coughcough: Actually, umm, I'm going to be away for a month s0o0o…:looks away sheepishly: But if it makes you feel any better, I slaved away half of the night to get this posted by morning.
Fackyews
Where on earth do you come up with Lily's crazy personality?
Oh, how I like this question ^__^ I tend to put a fair bit of my personality into the main characters which is why I decided to switch this story over to first person. It's a lot more personal and I can allow myself to rant through Lily. I tend to have the urge to write "omg" or "lol" a lot, however…
So who are Joanna Channon and Nigel…um, Nigel…?
Jo and Nigel are, indeed, the future Mr. and Mrs. Lovegood! Mystery solved!
Thoughts to Ponder Why Luna is Away:
What's wrong with Lily?
What did Danielle's note say?
How come Lily never met Danielle at Beauxbatons?
Why is James such an asshole?
Where is Lily's owl that her uncle promised her??
Love, Liebling!