Hey, guys! I'm really sorry I haven't been updating at all this summer. My dad actually forbade me to write anymore, but whatever…I can't leave you all hanging, that would just be cruel. But I won't be updating as much as last school year, since I'm taking a bunch of AP and IB classes and am therefore getting butt-loads of homework every night. But I'll try as hard as I can to update at least every month or so…sorry!
Chapter 9
Lily, James, and Sirius sat on the steps of the front porch, waiting for Ally and Remus to show up. It was a warm night and the sky was full of stars.
"I'm bored," James complained, resting his head on Lily's shoulder and yawning.
"Then do something," Lily replied, rolling her eyes.
"Like what?"
"I don't know…sing a song or something." Lily immediately regretted her suggestion. James and Sirius leapt up and began parading around on the front porch, singing the most annoying and obnoxious song they could think of at the top of their lungs.
"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves
Everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves!
I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves
And this is how it goes…"
"Okay, please stop now. Anything but…"
"…Everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves!
I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves
And…"
"Please stop!"
"…I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves…"
"SHUT UP!" Lily shouted, whipping out her wand and muttering "Silencio".
James and Sirius stopped in mid-sentence and mid-step, mouthing silently. They looked at each other and at Lily, confused. Suddenly, they saw the wand in her hand and glared angrily at her for ending their song so soon. Lily burst out laughing at the two of them.
"Hahaha, what are you gonna do about it?!"
"Good one, Lily," said a voice from behind her. She jumped, very startled, and looked around to see Remus Lupin striding towards them, followed by Ally and…Ally's younger sister, Laura.
"Ally!" Lily shrieked, dashing over and hugging her best friend tightly.
"Lily!" Ally also shrieked. She hugged Lily back, just as hard. When they broke apart, Lily turned to greet Laura.
"Hey, Laura!" she said, hugging her as well. "What are you doing here?"
Laura was a year younger than Ally, but she hung out with Ally and her friends so often that no one ever remembered anymore. She looked like a smaller version of her sister, except that her eyes were a golden-hazel color and her hair was less curly. She was lively, artistic, and inclined to going a little crazy every once in a while, and Lily and her friends loved her like a sister (except Ally, who was her sister).
"Oh, she just wanted to come over and hang out," Ally said, grinning. "She might even be allowed to stay as long as I'm here…which will hopefully be all summer."
"Great!" Lily exclaimed. "Hey, Remus," she added, turning to greet him. He swept her up into a huge hug, ignoring the glare from James. Lily was one of his good friends, as they had been prefects together, and James' feelings about her certainly weren't going to stop him from hugging her.
James tried to speak but Lily's Silencing Charm was still on him. Lily and the others laughed at him and Sirius still mouthing silently, and Lily said the counter-curse.
"Come on, guys! Let's go inside!" he said, opening the front door for them.
Sirius turned to Lily. "Can I finish the song?"
"God, no!" Lily, Ally, Laura, and Remus cried.
They all filed into the family room and squished together on the couch. Lily and Ally ended up sitting on James' and Sirius' laps so that they could all fit. Sirius put his arm around Ally and Laura.
"Hah, I get two lovely ladies and James only gets one! And Moony gets none!" he exclaimed.
"You wish," Laura said, shrugging Sirius' arm off of her. His face fell and everyone laughed.
"I think you've just been dissed, Padfoot," Ally pointed out.
"What should we do?" Remus asked.
"Let's get DRUNK!" Sirius suggested.
"Yeah!" James agreed. "My dad's got a stash of firewhiskey in the pantry."
"I don't know…" Lily said hesitantly. "Won't you're mom get mad?"
"Nah, we've done worse," James replied.
"Well, my parents would get super pissed if they found out I got drunk with you lot," Lily said. "So, no drunkness."
"Aaaw, come on!" James and Sirius whined.
"I agree with Lily," Remus said. "We'd have a lot more fun if we were sober and knew what we were doing."
"Let's play a game," Laura suggested.
"Spin the Bottle?" James suggested.
"Seven Minutes in Heaven?" Sirius said.
"Never Have I Ever?" added Ally.
"Truth or Dare?" Remus said.
"Strip Poker?" Sirius said, a hopeful look on his face.
"Hide-and-Seek!" Lily cried.
"I like that idea," agreed Remus.
"So who's it?" asked Laura.
"Nose games!" James cried, putting his index finger on his nose. Everyone else followed his lead, but Sirius was last.
"Sirius is it!" Lily screamed, and there was a sudden stampede to get out of the room and hide.
"Wha…oh!" Sirius said, suddenly realizing why he was the only one left in the room. "One…two…three…"
Lily dashed up the stairs and into her bedroom. There's gotta be someplace to hide in this enormous house, she thought, looking around. There was a large cupboard at the bottom of the bookshelf, with two doors. She ran over and flung the doors open and found a place big enough to fit two people. She clambered in and pulled the double doors in, leaving them open a tiny crack so that she could hear and breathe. She settled back and waited.
Soon, she heard footsteps in the room. That can't be Sirius, she thought. It's way too soon for him to be done counting. Suddenly, the doors of the cupboard were flung open and James' face appeared.
"Hey, Lily!" he said in a loud whisper.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.
"Hiding," he replied, as if stating the obvious, and clambered in next to her, pulling the doors shut again.
"No, you're not!" Lily said, folding her arms and giving him a get-the-hell-out-of-my-cupboard-or-else look. "Out!"
"Love you too," he said, not moving an inch.
"We're friends, remember? Just friends."
"Yeah, that's definitely what you were thinking this morning when we were snogging on the beach," he replied, smirking.
"Well…uh…I…" Lily stammered, blushing and trying to find an argument to this irrefutable point.
"Yes?"
"What I mean is…"
James smirked again.
"Well, we're still not going out or anything," she said, trying to regain control of the situation.
"Yeah, we are!" James said, a little confused.
"Actually, no. Haven't you ever heard of the rules of dating?"
James looked at her blankly, all traces of a smirk gone.
"I didn't think so," Lily replied, smirking.
"Ally, help me!" Laura whispered to her sister. Both were in the basement, looking for places to hide.
"What?"
"Help me hide!" she said, pointing to the washing machine. The round door was open ever so slightly.
"Laura, that's a great place! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Probably because I'm smarter than you."
Ally grimaced, but helped her clamber into the washing machine, which must have had a spell put on it because she was able to fit quite comfortably. Ally covered her partially with some dirty clothes and left the door open a crack. She then turned and began to look for a place for herself. Suddenly, she spotted a large closet full of cardboard boxes and ran over to it. She stepped carefully inside, trying not to knock into anything, and shut the door behind her. She sat down on one of the boxes to wait.
Remus looked around wildly. There's gotta be somewhere to hide, he thought. He ran into the master bedroom, searching for a perfect spot. There was a huge walk-in closet on the right side of the room, with the door ajar, so he decided to check it out. He dashed in and an ingenious thought came to him. Quickly, he snatched a blue robe, high black boots, and a straw hat from the ground and put them on. He squeezed in between two of Mrs. Potter's dresses and ducked his head. Hah, now all Sirius is going to see is a robe hanging up in the closet if he comes in here, he thought, almost amazed by his own genius.
Hope you liked the new chappie so far…I decided not to put in the whole game of Hide-and-Seek, since it's really long. But I'll finish writing it very soon.
Thanks for all of your ideas! I probably would still be in writer's block if it wasn't for them.
Have you all read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? I absolutely loved it and am currently reading it for the fourth time…yes, I am aware that I am obsessed.
I'm going to put up another questionnaire with the next chapter, so be ready!
balletgirl01
