First posted: December 26, 2004
Suggested music: "Hey, Hey" by Dispatch
Chapter Ten
One Night of Gallivanting
Lily whirled around and immediately felt like an idiot. Shades of crimson bloomed across her pale face in the dark.
"Bloody hell, Evans! We were just messing around! I thought for sure you'd know it was us!" gasped James. He was doubled over, clutching his stomach.
Sirius had been holding Summer's arms behind her back but he was weakened by laughter as he looked down at James. Summer slapped him and wrung herself out of his grasp.
"Oy!" he exclaimed, but only sniggered harder.
"Sorry, but we were expecting you to come out of the portrait hole!" said Lily, her heart still pounding heavily. "Are you all right?"
James finally straightened up. "I think I'll live, but blimey, you hit hard."
"Why did you guys have to do that?" asked Summer. "We were already twitchy enough without you sneaking up on us!"
"You were just standing there…didn't even hear us coming! It was too perfect to pass up," said Sirius, rubbing his cheek and grinning.
"Are we going to go or stand around here all night?" demanded Lily.
"You're not worried, are you, Evans?" asked James with an annoying smirk, seemingly recovered.
"No. I just want to get moving."
"Of course." He winked. "Shall we go then?"
He held out his arm to Lily and she pretended not to see it. She walked close to Summer and they were able to grip onto each other without the boys seeing whenever they went around a shadowy corner.
James and Sirius strolled along in front of them at perfect ease. Lily supposed she shouldn't be too impressed by them. They were the Marauders. Sneaking out is what they did. Besides, why would they be worried? They didn't care if they got caught.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" asked Summer.
Lily peered around at the shady corridor. It was so dark that the only reason she knew it was a corridor was because they had been walking in the same direction for quite some time. She felt as though her ability to touch and feel was the only one of her five senses working. Darkness stretched out before her like a world of nothingness and she had never known the castle to be so silent.
Sirius's voice slid through the silent darkness. "We know every inch of this castle. Do not question our expertise."
Summer didn't reply but Lily could tell that she didn't trust their self-proclaimed "expertise."
"Aren't we nearly there? We've been walking for ages," said Lily, as they groped their way around another corner. "Surely the kitchens are somewhere near the Great Hall."
She immediately bit her lip.
All she saw was the flash of a lantern before James and Sirius whirled around and walked straight into the girls to block their way.
"Filch," muttered James as he grabbed Lily and forced her back around the corner.
"What was that?" Filch's voice snapped. "Students out of bed! Come back here, you little varmints!"
"Shit."
They all turned and ran. The corridor was long and there was nowhere to hide until the very end. Lily cursed herself for her blind stupidity. She, Lily Evans, was about to get caught wandering around the castle at midnight in the company of Sirius Black and James Potter—all to gain their trust! And to think that she was usually the one doing the catching.
Still running aimlessly, she glanced back and saw Filch rounding the corner, his grotesque face looking deadly in the eerie light cast by the lantern. Suddenly, James or Sirius—it was impossible to tell which in the darkness—yanked her to the side and through a doorway. He slammed the door shut and muttered several locking charms. As he turned she could see that it was James by the faint sliver of light reflected by his glasses. He stood back and faced the door with Sirius, Summer, and Lily, waiting breathlessly.
Lily, her head spinning, turned on the two boys. She knew it wasn't their fault but she needed to rant. "Brilliant! Now we're going to be expelled! Potter—we're Head Boy and Girl—what are we going to do when he opens the door and—"
"He can't get in," James whispered.
"What do you mean? All he has to do is say a few simple countercurses and wahla! We're history!" hissed Lily.
"Filch, do magic?" scoffed James. "Ha! He's a Squib."
Lily wasn't surprised. Why else would he bother with a lantern? Yet somehow, this knowledge did not calm her down.
The doorknob suddenly rattled violently. Lily jumped and nearly knocked James over.
"Come on out, you pesky brats!" screeched Filch, as he pounded on the door. "There's no way to escape the belt this time! Don't worry, my sweet, we've got them. They've got to come out sometime and we'll be here when they do, won't we?"
His voice fell to a low mumble as he continued to tell his cat all the things he planned to do to them when they emerged. They didn't move until they heard him slump against the door.
"Oh, no. He's going to wait there all night. How are we going to get out? You guys are supposed to be the experts!" demanded Summer in a strained whisper.
"Once again, you underestimate us. We have a way of knowing any and all routes out of here and whether or not there's someone out there guarding the door," said James. "Check the map, Padfoot."
"Map? I thought you knew every inch of this castle. What do you need a map for?" asked Summer, her arms folded expectantly across her chest.
Sirius lit his wand and rummaged through his robes. At Summer's words, he chuckled.
"Our Map is not just any old map. It can tell you a little more than how to find your way from the Owlery to the North Tower," answered James slickly. "Shall we show it to them, Padfoot?"
"Perhaps, if I could find it—" said Sirius irritably, digging his hands into his pockets. "I don't have it."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have it!" he cried. "It's not here. Must have left it somewhere."
"What's so special about this stupid old map anyway?" asked Summer.
"Stupid old map?" repeated James. "This map is probably the cleverest thing you'll ever have the honor of seeing—if we ever see it again, that is—" he glared at Sirius "—and it could show us when Filch leaves that door!"
"Well, it isn't much help now, is it?" snapped Lily. "How are we going to avoid getting expelled?"
"I suggest we inspect our whereabouts," said Sirius. "See if there are any other exits."
They all lit their wands and looked around. It was a small classroom that hadn't been used in a few years, judging by the blanket of dust that covered the desks. A lot of dust but no sign of a way out.
"Lovely," muttered Lily. "Filch will eventually get a teacher to open this door and they'll throw us out. Just wonderful! Nearly seven years of slaving at this school wasted, because of one night of gallivanting around this damn school! One night!"
She sat down at a desk and tangled her fingers in her hair.
"Maybe not. Filch doesn't usually bother the teachers this late at night because they always get angry. We've gotten away from him so many times that when he runs to a teacher, they accuse him of imagining us!" said Sirius gleefully.
"That makes it a hundred times worse!" cried Lily, paling. "We'll be locked in here all night together! That'll go over well when they catch us in the morning, I'm sure."
"Well then, we have all night to come up with a good excuse!" replied Sirius, taking a seat across from Lily and reclining backwards in the chair.
Lily groaned. Summer sat down next to her and leaned her head on her shoulder in sympathy.
"Hey, we didn't force you to come along," said Sirius, in response to her groan. "In fact, if I remember correctly, this whole thing was your idea."
"That doesn't matter," said James quietly.
Sirius looked at James. "I know that! It would just be nice if she could stop wallowing in self-pity if we're going to be spending the entire night stuck in this room together. What's going to happen will happen, Evans, so shut up or make the best of it."
"Fine then…at least it's not a broom closet," said Lily dryly.
Summer yawned, then shivered. She and Summer wore nothing but thin sweaters, not prepared for the stony chill of the castle.
Sirius stood up and began to search the cabinets on the back wall. He pulled out a jar filled with yellowish dust and dumped it out on the floor. With a flick of his wand, he conjured up electric blue flames inside the jar.
"There—you know, we could be quite cozy here tonight," he said, as he placed the jar on a desk in the center of their small circle.
"Thanks, mate," said James. He sat down next to Sirius and inched his chair closer to the flaming jar. "It's such a comfort being warm knowing that Filch is freezing."
"Cheers," said Lily, who hated Filch passionately at the moment.
They relaxed around the source of heat, trying to get comfortable in the hard wooden chairs.
"I can hear him snoring," said Sirius in an idly amazed tone. "That git is actually going to sleep in front of that door just to make sure we don't get out. He really needs some kind of purpose in his life."
"We are his purpose. What is he going to do when we've graduated?" James asked Sirius, grinning.
"Who knows, maybe he'll marry that evil cat of his," yawned Sirius. "Take a little holiday before our kids come in and take over."
"We'll train them up to be little Marauders so that they can carry on our legacy," said James, beaming with excitement at the thought.
"I pity the kid who gets one of you for a father," Lily said. Obviously, she was no Seer, or she may have held her tongue. She even added, "One set of Marauders is too much; I can't imagine the state the world will be in when you reproduce."
"You don't really think that, do you, Evans?" asked James, looking at her thoughtfully. "How dull would this place be without us?"
"Yeah. We spice things up," agreed Sirius.
"You may make it…interesting but you also hurt a lot of people in the process," replied Lily.
"No." James shook his head. "Maybe we get a little carried away on old Snivelly once in awhile but the others are just in fun. They know that."
"I'm not sure being publicly humiliated or spending a week in the hospital wing because they've been hexed is what your victims consider fun," said Lily. "You've no idea how many people you've hurt…But that doesn't matter, of course, as long as the Marauders have their laugh and manage to keep the spotlight on themselves."
To her surprise, Lily did not feel any anger bubbling up as she spoke. She had raged to James so many times, leaving no impression. She now saw how blind he really was to the consequences of his pranks and she couldn't get angry. She just wanted to let him know.
James sat staring at her for a long time after she fell silent. He didn't look angry either…or upset or even amused. He simply stared. He stared until Lily grew uncomfortable and looked down at her lap. When she thought it was safe to glance back up, he was still gazing at her. She shifted in her chair, not knowing what to do. His face was uncharacteristically solemn, illuminated by the flickering blue light. She desperately wished for him to say something and return to his usual, cheerfully confident self—the one she knew how to deal with.
Lily turned to Summer for help, but her head was drooping against her shoulder as she dozed. Then Lily looked to Sirius but he too was sound asleep, with his head resting on his hands as he sat reclined in the old chair. How could anyone fall asleep so fast?
"Um—looks like they were, er, tired," she said thickly, without meeting those solemn eyes.
At this, James finally turned his head away. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"Sirius can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. It's amazing, really," he said quietly, smiling softly.
Very much relieved, Lily looked up at his face from across the desk.
"I reckon he and Summer have that in common," she said, not really thinking about Summer and Sirius's sleeping habits.
There was another long silence. Lily fiddled with her clothes and ran her hands through her hair, pretending to be getting comfortable, though she just needed something to cover up how nervous James was making her. Eventually, there was nothing more Lily could preoccupy herself with and she gave up.
She cuddled up in her chair next to Summer and chanced a look over the brilliant blue fire at James. Thankfully, he was fixing his robes and had stopped staring at her.
Had Lily glanced up a split second sooner, she would have seen him turn his eyes away only when he saw her look over. Their eyes caught in one swift gaze when he looked back. They immediately bent their heads so that they both had a nice view of their own laps.
Lily couldn't understand the fierce tension in the room. Had she gotten through to him at last or was this all just her imagination? Why was she finding it so difficult to make eye contact with him? Why couldn't she think of anything to say? What was he—?
Sirius suddenly gave an enormous snort and Lily and James both jumped.
They finally looked at each other. For a moment, Lily was locked in his eyes and everything made sense again. The next second they were rocking with laughter. All the pressure that had been building up poured out of them in a wild stream of giggles. Minutes passed as they sat and laughed before they could find their self-control.
"That was the…loudest…snore…I've ever…heard," breathed Lily, feeling slightly tipsy.
"My heart…is still going…like mad," gasped James, glancing over at Sirius, who was oblivious.
"I have a new respect for you," said Lily. "You have to share a dorm with him."
"You get used to it. It's kind of like falling asleep to some bizarre symphony," replied James, his mouth twitching.
Then they both collapsed into another fit of laughter.
Lily felt utterly insane. She hadn't laughed this hard since...she couldn't remember when. It wasn't even that funny, but it just kept coming. And she couldn't find it in her to care about how ridiculous all of it was, because honestly, it felt wonderful.
She slid onto the floor, clutching her stomach. "You should have seen yourself. I thought you were going to jump out of your skin," she said, sniggering.
James collapsed next to her with a laugh. "Kind of like the time you threw a fit when I came up from behind you."
Lily burst into a fresh series of giggles. "I thought you were kidnapping me!"
They rolled around, looking like idiots, on the floor. Everything just kept getting funnier and funnier. For some reason, despite their situation, Lily had never felt lighter.
* * *
Lily shivered. It was extremely cold and she was very uncomfortable. Her bed felt as hard as a rock. That was strange. She was too tired to get out of it, though.
Without opening her eyes, Lily rolled onto her other side and bumped into something warm and soft. She pressed closer to it, grateful for the heat, and pulled her blankets to her chin.
Then, as she was about to drift back to sleep, something happened that made her heart stop.
The warm thing that she was huddled against moved.
Lily's eyes snapped open, and, without blinking once in the blinding sunlight that was streaming through a window, sprang up. Sneaking out. Filch. The classroom. The blue fire—it all hit her in one shocking punch. As her brain revved into motion, she looked down at what had moved, fearing what she would see.
There he was, lying next to her. She was tangled in his robes. Lily wished she could wake up again and laugh at this stupid dream.
At least he was still sound asleep.
She rubbed her face, images of the last seven hours or so moving through her head. Wandering the dark school with James and Sirius, taking refuge in this room, dodging James's glances, Sirius's snoring, laughing—insanely—with James.
With James.
A smile, the remnant of their fit of laughter, crept onto her face. Had she really done that? Could she really be smiling about it?
Then she heard some muffled movement outside the door and remembered how Filch had been keeping guard all night. Her little ray of pleasure suddenly died in the face of her anxiety. The price for her careless fun was too high—She was about to be expelled!
"Lily! How'd you get down there?"
Lily twisted around and saw Summer rising from where she had been curled up across three chairs. She looked stunned at the sight of Lily sitting next to James, wrapped in his robes. Sirius was stretched out across a row of five chairs with his face buried in his folded arms, still sleeping. The blue fire in the jar had worn out and it sat on the table, dark and cold.
"Oh—" Lily threw off James's robes. "We didn't mean to…err...we were…" she faltered, unsure of how to explain the odd situation that nothing in her life had prepared her for.
Summer raised a suggestive eyebrow.
"Summer Liem! Do not look at me that way! You know it wasn't anything like that!" Lily cried, squirming away from James as though he was some kind of frightening insect. "We were just laughing at something funny and ended up on the floor. We must have fallen asleep soon after that."
Summer nodded slowly, looking a little skeptical, then checked her watch.
"Soon someone will walk by, Filch will send for a teacher, and we'll be gone before dinner," she said, her voice void of emotion.
James stirred again. He stretched out his long, gangly arms and rolled onto his back.
"Morning, ladies." He grinned sleepily at them as he opened his eyes. Then he put on his glasses and looked at Summer. "We probably won't have to leave till tomorrow so we'll have at least one more dinner here."
"How long were you listening?" demanded Summer.
"Oh, you know, I woke up right about when Lily cuddled up against me," replied James, his dimple deepening.
Lily blushed and refused to meet Summer's gaping look.
"Do you think we should wake him?" Lily asked. She nodded at Sirius, eager to change the subject.
"Oy!" said James, a grin still wide on his face. "Padfoot!"
Sirius grunted and turned his head, still sleeping. Summer stood up and pinched him in the side.
He jolted awake. "What the fuck?" he muttered.
Summer laughed. "Morning, sunshine."
James stood up and pressed his ear against the door. "I don't think Filch is out there anymore!"
They quickly joined him by the door as he said the countercurses to the locking spells. Holding their breath, they watched him turn the brass knob. Slowly, he cracked it open and peered into the corridor.
"No sign of him," he announced.
"Hallelujah," breathed Summer.
James carefully pushed the door open wider and they all stepped out, bracing to jump up in down in celebration.
But something stopped them.
Standing next to the door was a girl with her arms crossed and a glistening Prefect badge pinned to her robes. The smirk on her face made Lily want to be sick.
It was Bellatrix Black.