They were still watching Lily. The music had slowed and a few couples started dancing to Still The One. James saw a tall dark haired 7th Year approach Lily and ask her to dance. She said something, looking put out and started fiddling with her earring. The boy didn't seem to take the hint and persisted. She was facing James, and when she caught his gaze she grimaced and mouthed "help!".
….
Chapter 10: A Prank and a Potion
"That request was decidedly aimed at you, Prongs," said Remus raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"Moony, feck off, and go chat up some fellow Gryffindors!" replied James, trying to sound casual.
Remus rolled his eyes. Since when, in his entire life, had he ever chatted up anyone?
James looked back at him, with a similar expression, and rolled his eyes right back at him. The boy was daft, he decided. He could easily see at least four girls who were shyly eying Remus with interest. The tall, thin boy with sandy hair and moss green eyes, standing in his usual self-effacing manner, wearing his everyday clothes and cardigan, who clearly hadn't bothered trying to dress up for the occasion. Entirely oblivious to the interest he aroused in others. He put down his drink and made his way through the crowd over to where Lily was standing.
"Evans!" he said heartily. "I believe you owe me a dance!"
"Oh yes, Potter" she replied briskly, but with a grateful look. "I completely forgot!"
She turned to the tall 7th Year who hadn't moved.
"Excuse us, Beauchamp?" she said.
He made as if to object, but James interrupted him.
"Thanks, old boy," he said, in a voice that brokered no argument.
Clearly exasperated, the other boy turned and left, limping rather heavily.
"Thank you!" said Lily sighing with relief, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders. "That git is a literal pain in the arse!"
"How so?" asked James smiling, while recalling she had called him a similar name many a time in the past.
"Earlier on tonight he was trying to chat me up, unsuccessfully, and bloody well pinched my bum! As if I'm going to dance with an idiot like him after that carry on!" she said with a look of disgust.
James' eyes narrowed.
"Oh relax!" she laughed, seeing his expression. "I flipped him onto the floor rather viciously, and loudly told him off, so now everyone knows he's a slimy git. He's limping now, ha! And he's utterly mortified."
"I knew you could handle yourself, Evans!" said James. She was damned impressive. Beautiful and potentially lethal, he thought. How was he supposed to remain impervious to that? "Although he didn't get the message clearly enough, if he was trying it on again."
"No, he came over to apologise, although he wouldn't sod off after that, as if he was hoping I'd ask him to dance – ugh!"
James mentally made a note to hex Ralph Beauchamp the next time he got a chance.
"I wouldn't dance with him if it was a choice between him and the giant-"
"Don't say it, Evans!" warned James, looking uneasy, and ruffling his hair. "You've said it to me plenty of times, and I really don't think I was quite as much of a git as that fellow."
"Sorry," replied Lily, flushing slightly. "You really weren't. It was just, you know, I couldn't stand you insulting my friend…"
"Well, that's something we have in common," said James, still looking uncomfortable. "And I am sorry. I shouldn't have picked on Snape, he was no worse than plenty of other Slytherins. I regret it now. Especially the incident near the lake. You've no idea how many times I regretted that day, how many times I've wished I could have changed what happened."
He was looking at her so passionately, she felt like kissing him.
"It's fine," she said instead. "Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, woke me up to what Severus had become. I just wish I'd been able to make him see he was making a terrible mistake. I still sometimes wish I could, that he would listen to me. I haven't completely given up hope on him, you know. Stupid, really."
James shook his head.
"No, not stupid. There is always hope…" he said, despite his misgivings.
Lily gave a short laugh.
"Not much hope, and fading rapidly by the hour." She sighed. "I can't help feeling guilty sometimes, you know, that I refused to be friends with him again. After he called me a mudblood,"
"Don't use that word!" interrupted James, gripping her arms tightly.
"He said it, not me. He tried to apologise to me afterwards, waited outside the Fat Lady and told Mary he wasn't leaving till I agreed to speak to him. I couldn't trust him again though, he was supposed to be my friend. My best friend. For years…"
A single tear traced its way down her cheek, and she brushed it hurriedly away.
"I'm so sorry, Lily," said James softly. "I wish there was something-"
"You can't fix it, James," Lily said, looking up at him warmly. "The only person who can fix it is Severus himself. If he decides to disassociate himself from his Death-Eater pals, I'll know he truly means it."
James nodded, his hands lightly holding her sides again.
"Anyway, enough of my nonsense!" said Lily making a concerted effort to appear happier. "Your friend Sirius filled me in on some very interesting facts about you!"
James groaned and shut his eyes with embarrassment. His mates were so dead.
"Go on so, what did the bastard say?"
"Well, he may have mentioned you secretly nurse an artistic talent," began Lily, raising her eyebrows, flashing emerald eye dancing.
"He's one to talk!" snorted James. "Bet he didn't tell you that aside from being obnoxiously good at all types of dancing, he's also a phenomenally good piano player?"
Lily gasped.
"No! No, he didn't! I think I love Sirius, he's just so alive, do you know what I mean?"
James laughed aloud and drew her in a little closer. Damn, she really did understand Pads, didn't she?
"I know exactly what you mean, Evans, his parents chose the right name for him, at least!"
"And what about Remus? I bet he's talented too?" she asked brightly. "His writing is exceptional at any rate."
"Yeah, he's always been the eloquent one," said James fondly. "But he also secretly plays the violin, very beautifully. But don't tell him, he'll die. Doesn't even realise I know! I heard him playing it in a disused classroom once."
"Ah, the violin. How very Remus," said Lily, nodding slowly. "Very bittersweet…"
James nodded too, pulling her even closer.
"You understand him," said James quietly.
"And Peter?" said Lily cocking her head to one side. "I bet he's a dark horse!"
"Oh Pete? Don't even get me started! He's obviously an amazing mimic, as you've heard! But he's pretty bloody good with a guitar, and his singing voice is better than most!"
"Greatly underestimated, your Peter!" grinned Lily. "I always knew there was more to him than meets the eye!"
"You're perfect, you know?" murmured James, her head now resting on his chest, his chin brushing the top of her head. "After what happened at the end of last year I was worried you'd be different this year, but you've been unbelievably brave…"
This moment is perfect, thought Lily, she didn't want it to end, she felt she could stay by his side forever, like this.
"Ah, there you are, Lily!" called a loud, booming, cheerful voice. "You did promise your favourite fellow Gryffindor prefect a dance, after much cajoling on my part, if I recall! And my sister has been dying to dance with you all night, Potter, so be a good sport and do her a favour?"
"Oh! Trevor," she said, and it was hard to mistake the disappointment in her voice.
Trevor, however, was as insightful as a very thick brick, thought James, as he had missed that entirely, and was standing there beaming merrily at them both, rather pleased with himself, his bright red jumper and mustard trousers looking rather like a beacon.
"Would you mind if-" began James, when he was assailed by a coughing fit, dry and persistent and racking his body. It didn't seem to want to stop.
"Are you alright?" asked Lily, concerned, laying a hand on his shoulder.
James nodded, unable to speak.
"something must have… wrong way," he wheezed incoherently, excusing himself much to Lily's disappointment, and making his way to the drinks table.
He tried gulping down some cold water, but the coughing remained unrelenting. Sirius came over quickly, raising his brow at him knowingly.
"Too much Firewhisky?"
James shook his head.
"Oh, how unusual for you, was it by chance a spot of illicit weeds, Prongs?"
"Neither, I don't…!" rasped James.
"Didn't think so, quidditch chaps don't like stuff that makes you unmotivated and forgetful!" laughed Sirius.
James continued wheezing, and eventually gestured upstairs to the dormitories.
"Think I'll turn in…" he managed to exhale.
"You're not allergic to Evans, are you, old chap?" asked Sirius teasingly.
James resorted to making a rude gesture with his finger and smacking him upside the head, before disappearing upstairs. He didn't notice the concerned, and wistful, looks that one Lily Evans was sending his way, as she feigned interest in Trevor Leighton's conversation about what a plummy job he was going to land in the registration section of the Department of Magical Transportation, when he completed his NEWTs.
….
James' coughing had kept him up most of the night, and necessitated him casting a silencing spell around his bed. But by morning it seemed to be subsiding, so it was a groggy, uncharacteristically quiet boy who walked into the Dining Hall the next morning, hair more untamed than ever, rubbing his eyes blearily. He plonked himself down unceremoniously beside Sirius, and proceeded to eat his porridge slowly, while gulping down four cups of strong English Breakfast tea.
"Alright, Prongs?" asked Remus, frowning slightly.
"S'fine," muttered James sleepily.
"Hey, shush, you two!" admonished Sirius excitedly. "Slytherin table is about to enjoy a Gryffindor surprise, any moment now! We've been planning that particular prank for ages and doing it in front of a large audience is much better than in the Slytherin Dorms. So glad we postponed it, eh?"
Grinning at each other, the boys sneaked a peek at the pupils from said table, who currently looked very superior, due in no small part to the fact that the other houses (especially Gryffindor) were very much the worst for wear, after the night before, so to speak.
Suddenly, much to the Slytherins' horror, their bags flew into the air and hovering above each student's chair, began chanting loudly to the tune of "Dedicated Follower of Fashion":
"We nominate today, Godric Gryffindor's Day!
Godric so brave, his exploits rare,
Of all the Founders he's the best,
The Lion's the king of our beloved Hogwart's crest
Cause we are dedicated followers of Godric
Oh yes he is, oh yes he is, Godric's the biz, oh yes he is
We think he is a legend to be looked at
And if you don't agree, well then, by Merlin, you're a prat!
Cause we are dedicated followers of Godric"
For a few seconds there was a stunned silence. James lifted his head and caught Mc Gonagall's eye as her own widened, cup of tea hanging mid-air and then she burst out laughing, tea spilling everywhere. It was a first! He couldn't believe it! He burst out laughing himself then, raising his own cup at her with a wink and couldn't believe his eyes when she raised her cup back with her own wink, before doing the same to Sirius who was howling with laughter right beside him. He watched as Dumbledore wiped some tears of laughter and eventually stood up.
"Why thank you so much to our Slytherin cohort for their kind celebratory song! How very thoughtful of you all! I believe you have just instituted a new school tradition, from now on this day shall be known as Godric's day! Twenty points to Slytherin House, well done!"
The whole dining hall at this stage had erupted in gales of laughter. "Happy Gryffindor's Day!" "Wait till I owl my parents and tell them that!" students were shouting merrily towards the Slytherin tables.
Remus couldn't help laughing at the dour faced Slytherins, looking thoroughly disgusted by the spectacle. Half the fun was in seeing their expressions of revulsion. If they had looked nonplussed, they wouldn't have bothered with half their pranks! Peter was practically crying with laughter beside him and next to him in a similar state was Lily, eyes closed with laughter, holding her sides, the sound of her peeling laughter infectious. Remus gestured to James and Sirius who smiled at each other and at her, a mixture of fondness and pride that their silly antics had caused her so much happiness.
James' tiredness momentarily melted away.
"Jolly good show, chaps!" said Sirius high-fiving them all.
"Love it when a prank goes to plan!" said Remus sighing with delight.
"Who thought of using the music of The Kinks' Dedicated Follower of Fashion? That was an inspired choice!" asked Lily, giggling.
"I did," said Peter, looking supremely pleased with himself. "I felt it had the ambient mood we were going for?"
"It was rather brilliant,' agreed Remus dryly. "Although personally I think the lyrics relate rather perfectly to-"
"To Sirius!" burst in Lily, collapsing into another laughing fit.
"Precisely!" grinned Remus.
"What do you mean?" asked Sirius, looking put out. He had not heard the original lyrics to this muggle song before.
Lily, Peter and Remus looked at each other and burst into song.
"And when he does his little rounds
'Round the boutiques of London Town
Eagerly pursuing all the latest fads and trends
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion
Oh yes he is (oh yes he is), oh yes he is (oh yes he is)
He thinks he is a flower to be looked at
And when he pulls his frilly nylon panties right up tight
He feels a dedicated follower of fashion"
Sirius snorted disdainfully and flicked his perfect shiny mane before leaning back on his chair.
"That is so not me!" he growled, slumping further down in his seat.
James raised a brow.
"Eh, Pads," he said. "The orange Flowery bell bottoms?"
"So?" scoffed Sirius.
"The mint green, viscose, high-waisted things you got at that London market?" persisted James.
"Coincidence," said Sirius flatly, in his most obnoxious accent, sticking his feet up on the table.
"Fine. The satin polka dot red and black tuxedo? The yellow silk shirt with the tie thing and the ruffles? Need I go on?" James asked, folding his arms.
"It's not a tie thing, you dork, it's a pussy bow shirt and it's cool, yeah? Not something you'd know anything about, Prongs!" said Sirius crossly, regarding his giggling mates irately. "And since when did we move from insulting Slytherins to insulting innocent bystanders?"
"Innocent, bystander and Sirius Black don't belong in the same sentence!" snorted James.
"Since it turns out it's just as much fun!" said Lily, peeling into another fit of giggles and causing all the others to burst out laughing again.
"I thought Prongs was bad enough, and now it turns out I've got myself an equally annoying little sister!" said Sirius, rolling his eyes but failing to stop the smile that had been threatening to spill over.
"Oh, apparently I'm good at being an annoying little sister!" winked Lily. "Although big sister might represent our mutual emotional maturity levels better!"
"Hey!" Sirius called after her, as she legged it out of the hall still chuckling to herself. "I turn 17 in November, you upstart!"
"You're going to have to control her a bit better Prongs!" sighed Sirius, turning to James with a mock offended tone.
"Good luck to you if you think you can control that girl!" laughed James, stifling a yawn.
"Come on guys, we'll be late for potions!" said Remus, whacking Sirius in the arm with his bag.
Sirius grabbed his bag and slung it elegantly over his shoulders. As he walked past, he caught Regulus' eye from the far side of the Slytherin table. To most observers, Regulus' facial expression looked blank but Sirius knew that look. He put two and two together and sighed. His brother would have been confused with the recent prank. He strained his ears and heard his brother turn to a classmate.
"But what was the point of that?" he asked, clearly perplexed. "We don't like Gryffindor, they know that too. Won't our parents be mad at us now?"
"No, you idiot, but don't go volunteering that information to them, for Merlin's sake. Make us look bad," she replied crossly. "And don't pretend you don't get it, it was obviously funny, from their perspective."
"Why?" he asked, somewhat irritably.
Poor Reg, thought Sirius, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Why couldn't it all go back to how it used to be between them? Six years ago he'd have explained it to Reg in a way that made sense to him in a jiffy, and Reg would then nod solemnly and visibly relax. He hoped Reg had managed to avoid making these types of comments in front of his father, who had zero patience.
Reg was looking back at him now, looking somewhat guilty and agitated. For Reg, that meant he was highly emotional. Sirius visibly flinched as an unwanted vision materialised in front of him – Reg standing over him, wand out, his own screams reverberating through the walls of Grimmauld Place. He stopped shakily, for a moment, until James' arm dragged him forwards, asking him questions, demanding answers, focusing his attention.
"When's the next quidditch game? Pads!"
"What? Er, Saturday at 2pm, isn't it?"
"Who's the Hufflepuff seeker? Pads! Pads! Sirius! Who is it?"
"Er, Mac Ardle?"
"What's your prediction, Sirius? On the game?"
"The game… the game? Oh… a Hufflepuff win by margin of at least 100 points?"
And the flashback was gone again.
James sighed, not before throwing a mutinous glare in Regulus' direction. He felt sorry for him, but damn him. Damn him, as well as his parents.
...
"So, ladies and gentlemen," began Professor Slughorn. "Today we are going to be brewing a fascinating potion called Amortentia. It's difficult to make, so take you time, and follow the instructions carefully. Have I made myself clear?"
James groaned inwardly. Oh great, he thought, well two guesses as to what mine will smell like! He turned to Sirius, who was sitting beside him.
"Well I'm rather dying to see what mine smells of," Sirius said excitedly. "I suppose you already know what yours will be like? Perhaps a violet tinge with a strong smell of lilac and peach?"
"What? Ugh! Pads, you're disgusting!" said James looking thoroughly nauseated, and giving him a dig in the ribs.
"No, Malum's disgusting!" laughed Sirius, digging him back.
"I'm traumatized now!" said James pretending to retch, and feeling slightly sick.
"Enough talking, chaps!" said Slughorn to them both, good naturedly, as he started walking round the classroom. "You have one hour!"
"And how is your batch doing, Miss Evans?" asked Slughorn affectionately, after a half hour had elapsed.
"Er, fine, Professor!" she said, blushing slightly.
"Come along, so, what do you smell?"
"Ah, well," said Lily haltingly. She couldn't very well reply "well Professor I smell James Potter and nothing else," could she?
"It sort of smells of the outdoors, after rain, woody and smoky," she daren't say more, as she knew if she started mentioning leather, vetiver or anything quidditch-related someone would guess.
"Lovely, well done, Miss Evans! Ten points to Gryffindor!"
"And you, Mr. Snape, what does yours smell like?" said Slughorn turning to his other top pupil, whose waxy complexion had turned an unusual shade.
"I've no idea yet, vaguely floral?" he answered stiffly, lying through his teeth.
"That's perfectly fine, Mr. Snape, don't panic if you haven't got the hang of it yet, plenty of time left!" said Slughorn, thinking that Severus was struggling to obtain a good potion.
Severus gave him a withering look. As if he couldn't get this potion finished, he thought angrily, he was considerably better at potions than that stupid, fat, useless idiot. He wasn't going to mention the smell of green apple, Lily Evan's old shampoo which she had used in First and Second Year, as she at any rate would know what that signified. Strange that he couldn't smell her current scent though. What did it all mean? And she definitely hadn't smelt anything that reminded her of him, Severus thought bitterly. She wasn't thinking of Potter, by any chance?
Severus looked over at James who was sitting dreamy-eyed staring into his cauldron, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"Go on, so, Prongs, what does yours smell of?" asked Sirius crossly, as he vigorously mixed his potion in a counter-clockwise manner. This wasn't working at all!
"What do you think?" said James, sighing. "It smells of coconut shampoo, fields of wild grasses, parchment and old books, and I dunno, marmalade tart?"
"Did someone mention marmalade tart?" gushed Lily excitedly, turning around to them, her cheeks an attractive pink hue, eyes glistening, and pupils dilated. "I love marmalade tart, it's my favourite!"
"You're my favourite!" blurted out James. Oh shit, shit, shit. Really, he was quite unable to think clearly at this stage, he felt like he had just consumed three glasses of Firewhisky in a row.
Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Oi, you too, enough with the flirting again!" he said tetchily. "My stupid potion has gone wrong!"
"What do you mean, Pads?" asked James, feeling far less embarrassed than he should have, given the circumstances. "What does yours smell of?"
"Well that's the thing, it bloody well smells of… well, it's embarrassing, it smells of…"
"Go on," said Lily encouragingly.
"I thought it was beginning to smell citrusy, of oranges, but then it started to smell all… smells of dirty clothes, homework, quidditch gear, wood fires. Oh for fuck's sake, it smells like our dorm, alright? And alluring?" said Sirius looking confused.
James looked at Lily and started grinning wildly.
Lily looked at him wide eyed and her hand flew to her lips.
"Sirius is in love with himself!"
The two of them burst out laughing hysterically, and soon all their fellow classmates had joined in, even some of the decent Slytherins were chuckling away.
"Fuck off you two! You're officially dead to me!" said Sirius giving them an aristocratic glare, and turning his back on them.
Remus was enjoying the whole thing immensely. He watched Lily and James chatting happily in between giggles, their hands skimming each other's, a playful poke in the arm, a gentle tucking away of Lily's stray curls, a reaching up to clean James' spectacles, their faces so close they were almost touching.
"Shut up, Potter, you're incorrigible!"
"Incorrigibly handsome?"
"Incorrigibly embarrassing!"
"I'll take that - embarrassingly handsome!"
He saw Sirius and Mary share a knowing look, which was repeated around the classroom. Surely it was just a matter of time now before Lily and James got together at last?
He sighed and stared at his own potion, his mood dropping significantly. His had smelt very like Sirius' one, he thought sadly, apart from a hint of warm lavender, and the fact that his potion had changed colours quite a lot. Because he wasn't going to be smelling anyone else, he was never going to fall madly in love, to find love. It was so damned inevitable, wasn't it? He was always going to end up on his own. And yet that smell had been so strangely intoxicating. It didn't even make any sense, and he was not telling a single soul what his Amortentia was like.
From the far corner of the room, Severus' expression had gone from displeased to outright livid. If somebody didn't do something right this minute, that bastard Potter was going to snog Lily Evans in the middle of Potions and there was NO WAY he was going to stand there and watch that horrendous, appalling, abhorrent sight!
He began a terse internal row with himself.
"Snap out of it, Sev," he told himself, in a tone surprisingly like Lily Evans'.
"You fuck off, and it's Severus now. This is just gross. I mean Potter has more or less claimed her, and nobody else can get near her!"
"You mean you can't get near her,"
"No, well yes, but not the point. I mean she could end up with some decent Slytherin or whatever if she got the chance."
"Yes, highly likely, a mudblood… and like you wouldn't be eaten alive with jealousy!"
"I'm not fucking jealous, I just hate Potter, as in, despise,"
"Yeah, old news, you're also mad she never wanted to kiss you."
"She didn't know I loved her! She thought of me as a friend. I think if she understood how I felt she'd consider it."
"Consider dating you? Maybe. Probably. But. You're not even a friend! How do you plan on fixing that?"
Just then he heard two classmates whispering behind him.
"I just wish they'd get on with it!" said Clara Oakley, a half-blood Slytherin behind Severus. "It's painful to watch."
"Who? Potter and Evans? Don't tell me you're in favour of purebloods ending up with mudbloods? Gross!" responded Evan Rosier, who sounded positively revolted.
"They're a lost cause!" said Clara irritably, she couldn't help thinking they looked sweet and endearing. "Let them at it!"
Severus' knuckles whitened. He carefully aimed a hex at James' cauldron and had the gratifying sight of watching it explode all over him and Black (and unfortunately, also partly onto Lily).
"Oh dear me!" said Slughorn anxiously, coming over to examine the mess and rubbing his forehead with his large initialled handkerchief. "What on earth did you do? You know that stuff is damned difficult to wash off! I'm afraid I'll have to sign you off classes for the rest of the day, the three of you better relax and take it easy. I suggest, Mr. Black, you might want to remain with those two for the next few hours, I think leaving them alone in that state might be unwise? They seem to have been hit by the effects of Amortentia rather strongly."
"Why do I always end up having to clean up after everyone else's mess?" Sirius sighed, shaking his head slightly.
"Pads, the only mess you've ever cleaned up is your own. Probably about twice in your life. When you could eat it!" snorted Peter.
Mary Mac Donald collapsed in a fit of giggles.
"Professor, I could help, I don't think Black can handle those two on his own."
"Agreed, Miss Mac Donald, thank you, Dear!" replied Slughorn hastily.
Severus winced as the four left the classroom, their laughter echoing through the dungeon corridors.
You fool, Severus told himself, looks like all you've succeeded in doing is hastening the whole damned nightmare scenario!
…
Hope you enjoyed that, mostly just a bit of fun! Thanks so much to everyone who has left reviews, I cannot tell you how happy you make me, not an exaggeration to state that you absolutely make my day =)