Centripetal Motion

Chapter 10

The Important Things

November: most definitely the best month of the year in Lily's opinion. Lily had felt this way from a young age, but she could only now place why. November was a month that was chilly enough to provide a certain sharpness and clarity, but not cold enough to feel the death and gloom of, say, February. It was warm enough to spend a pleasant time outside in November, but not hot enough to feel sticky and lazy. November was fresh enough to beautiful colours, crackling leaves, and the oddest of squashes, but not enough newness or growth to thicken the air with so many flowers and suffocating smells.

Lily Evans would take an invigorating autumn afternoon over nearly any other time of the year.

It was for this reason and this reason only that Lily could tolerate Care and Keeping of Magical Creatures on this lovely Wednesday, November 10. Today in class, the seventh year NEWT students were helping to remove gnomes from the vegetable patch behind the greenhouses, in between the lake and the forest. For many of the students from Wizarding families, this was a common household chore, like vacuuming the carpets, and they had begun to make games of throwing them as far as possible and setting them on their classmates.

Lily did not feel this way. She found the entire process and theory strange, frightening, and just slightly barbaric. So she hung back behind Alice Cartwright, who was quite practiced at the sport of gnome-throwing and had a decent arm, and tried to look like she was actually doing something whenever Professor Kettleburn looked her way.

"So Frank wrote me yesterday about our plans for getting together over winter holiday," Alice babbled. "Now, I'd be perfectly fine spending the whole bloody holiday with him, but I can't imagine what my family would have to say about that. This is what I told him, and he wrote this morning saying it would be fine, because after I got out of school we'd be free to spend all our time together."

Alice paused to chuck a gnome halfway into the Forbidden Forest, but continued with out delay, "You see, Lily, the way he said it did not sound like he planned for us to go out on dates all the time. He sounded like he was almost, well proposing! Nothing was official, or anything of the sort, but it got me to thinking. I'm certain he'll propose soon. How am I to go around telling people that I'm engaged at seventeen! Not that I'm engaged yet, but it's always a possibility. I'll be eighteen next month, but no one sees a difference between seventeen and eighteen."

Lily smiled. In the Muggle world, turning eighteen was everything, including adulthood. That meant nothing, though, about marriage. She pictured her parents' faces after presenting a fiancé and almost laughed.

"Well," Lily said, "Some people would be terribly rude, but should love really matter when age is involved? Love is the important thing. Personally, I've been waiting on you for several months to make it pretty final. You two are quite obvious about each other."

Alice smiled softly and absentmindedly chucked a gnome at James Potter.

Lily giggled as James leapt in the air, only to come back down on the gnome's toe, who took this as a personal offence and began gnawing on James's ankle. James yelped and tried to pry the thing off him as the other three Marauders (who let all four of them in one class?) alternated between rolling on the ground with laughter and egging the gnome on.

Suddenly Professor Kettleburn's voice could be heard. "You're a wizard, boy," he told James. "Use your wand."

Recognition lit up on James's face as he pulled out his wand and Stunned the little bugger. He then grinned and shrugged his shoulders to the small crowd that had been sniggering at him.

"So," Alice nudged Lily. "Speaking of boys…"

"Oh, were we?" Lily asked innocently.

Alice drop-kicked a gnome towards the lake. "How's Potter these days?"

"Well, his gnome friend seems to think his ankle is quite tasty," Lily smiled.

"And what do you think?" Alice asked.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Friends, Alice. Perhaps you are practically engaged, but many of us are quite unattached."

"That's not what Abigail said," Alice sort of sang.

"Abigail doesn't know what she's talking about," Lily argued. "She's too preoccupied with getting Remus to open up. Her postulations are completely unfounded."

"Abigail and Remus, really?" came a voice form behind Lily.

Lily spun around to face Sirius Black and sighed in relief that it was not James or Remus who had overheard their conversation.

"It's rude to sneak up on people, Black," Alice scolded in her motherly tone.

"I've also been told it's rude to eavesdrop, but that hasn't stopped me, Mrs. Longbottom," Sirius retorted.

"You jerk," Lily berated. "You keep that to yourself!"

"Certainly, my venomous flower," Sirius grinned. "I just heard talk of my dear scruffy headed friend and determined that I needed to investigate."

"There's nothing to investigate," Lily replied curtly.

"Really now? Maybe I'll see what Figg has to say about that situation?" Sirius suggested and started kicking around a particularly round gnome like a football. "I could also ask her about Moony while I was at it…"

"You even think about it, and I'll take points from Gryffindor!" Lily threatened.

"Really? That isn't an exploitation of your power, Miss Head Girl?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not above it."

"Maybe, I'll ask James to verify. Oi Prongs!" Sirius called.

Kettleburn snapped to attention, "Every gnome out of this patch in the next ten minutes, Mr. Black. No lollygagging!"

"I would never think of committing such an offence as serious as lollygagging, Professor," Sirius hollered.

Meanwhile, James jogged over to Sirius and the girls. "What happened? Did you get bitten as well?"

"No," Lily grumbled. "But I might set one on your friend, here."

James laughed. "I wouldn't be opposed; what's the reason?"

Sirius cut in, "I just needed to ask you a question. Is it or is it not exploitation of the Almighty Head Power to blackmail me by threatening to subtract points?"

James paused then turned to Alice, "Did he deserve it, Cartwright?"

"Absolutely."

James nodded, "Then I stand by Lily."

"You're getting soft on me, mate," Sirius shook his head in mock disappointment.

"Something like that," James agreed.

The four students turned quickly when they heard a painful cry from the other side of the vegetable patch. A Hufflepuff, it appeared, had been bitten, and there was blood involved.

"Class dismissed!" Kettleburn shouted, and began helping the boy up to the castle.

Alice tapped Lily on the shoulder, "Come to the dormitory with me to get our books for Defence Against the Dark Arts?"

"Oh, I've already got mine," Lily said. "But if you all haven't, I can go with you."

"I've already got mine too, Lily," James told her. "Let's go on ahead."

"Yes," Sirius encouraged. "You two go on ahead."

As Alice and Sirius watched their friends follow the path to the castle, Alice spoke, "You've already got your books, haven't you?"

"Yes," Sirius confirmed.

"Me too."

Twenty minutes later, the seventh year NEWT class had spread themselves around the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, wands poised in front of them.

"This is the day," Professor Capricious squealed. "This is the day you shall attempt to produce a Patronus Charm! Has each youngling harnessed a strong emotion of a favourable nature?"

"Oi, McKinnon," Sirius whispered. "Care to know what mine is?"

"Not in the slightest, Black," she snapped.

"Actually, I think you already know," Sirius grinned. "I think its yours as well."

"I think you smacked your head if you believe that was a favourable experience for me."

"Oh," Sirius grinned. "Are you talking about when we snogged? I was thinking about that Transfiguration test, but if you insist…"

"Fall in a well," Marlene whispered fiercely.

"As long as you're by my side, love."

Professor Capricious clapped her hands together. "Each of the students remembers the incantation, now. Proceed!"

"Expecto Patronum!" someone said. Nothing happened.

"Expecto Patronum!" shouted another. A soft glow at the tip of the wand quickly died.

Lily closed her eyes and focused her mind. She had received her letter; she was going to Hogwarts. "Expecto Patronum!" She couldn't feel a thing. She got her wand; she performed a spell. Again, nothing. She needed something amazing. Something important.What are the important things?

She was sorted intro Gryffindor. She had new friends. Abigail, Alice, Potter. "Expecto Patronum!" Though Lily's eyes were closed she opened them when several students around her gasped. A faint silver figure was prancing in front of her, it strengthened and differentiated as the moments past, and she could make out its form. A silvery doe was now dancing around the room, prompting many students to stop their own work and watch Lily's success. Lily smiled softly as Professor Capricious exclaimed praises of "Splendid!" and "Marvellous!"

"Hey, Lily," James caught her attention. "Expecto Patronum!" A silver stag burst forth from his wand, galloped around the room, and stopped near Lily's doe. The stag shook his head and thrust his chest forward. The doe kicked its hoof on the ground playfully and the two deer began a game of leaping about the classroom with no respect for the boundaries of the floor and gravity.

"What's a doe symbolize?" Lily asked James.

"Kindness," James answered.

"And love and gentleness and grace," Remus added.

"Grace?" Abigail laughed. "I think your charm is a bit confused. But it does figure you'd get an animal like that."

Sirius laughed, "You mean it does figure she'd get an animal like James." Sirius stuck his wand out and shouted the incantation. "Expecto Patronum!" he said, and a playful dog with its tongue lolling out rolled around the floor in front of him. "So, McKinnon, you think you've got a dog in that wand?"

It escaped no one's attention that Marlene sounded worried when she replied "Your wish," and rolled her eyes.

"It is," Sirius answered.

Marlene bit her lip, "Expecto Patronum! Expecto—Expecto—Expecto Patronum!" It wasn't a dog. It was a cat. A cat this hissed at scratched at the silver Padfoot.

"Now that," Abigail pointed, "Figures."

Across the room, Severus Snape snapped at Tempest Avery. "Have you no patience? Have you no trust in me?"

"Not a bit," Tempest jibed. "Have you given reason for me to?"

"You know what I think?" Acacia Gibbons interrupted. "I think you haven't got a plot against Evans and Potter at all. I think you're making it up, mudblood-lover."

"Insolent shrew!" Snape rebuked her. "You are of no value to this endeavour and I advise you not to accuse me."

"Lay off her, Snape," Avery said. "We're all thinking it. Let's just practice our charms." Snape knew how to produce a Patronus. He knew what form it took, and after seeing Evans, he wasn't about to display his Patronus to the class.

Acacia's took the form of a tigress, and Tempest's took the form of a snake.

Across the room, Sirius burst into a fit of laughter verging on tears. With a hand waving in the direction of Tempest Avery, he shouted, "Now that figures!"

The class continued with their work for the remainder of the period. And several more students accomplished the charm. Abigail was still having much trouble, but Alice produced an adequate shield, and Remus's Patronus took the form of a crane.

When dismissed, many students still lingered in the classroom, as it was the last class of the day. James nervously shifted his feet as he adjusted and readjusted his glasses.

"Lily?" James questioned the girl who was still kneeling on the ground, attempting cram all her books in to her bag.

She looked up at him. There really is something to be said about hearing one's name. The way it sounds in one's own ears. The flavour others give to it.

"Something you need, James?" she stood.

"Oh no, I was just heading out to the courtyard, and I thought you could come. So we could," James faltered, "talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Oh you know, Heads stuff and all," James shrugged.

Lily pushed her hair behind her ear and looked down. "Of course, yes, Heads stuff. We should talk about Heads stuff."

James's hand found itself in his hair. "Or we could just catch up. It's a nice day outside and we haven't really gotten a chance to…much… lately… we've been busy."

Lily smiled. "I think it's time to stop being too busy for the important things. Let's head out to the courtyard."

Disclaimer: This piece is a homage to the greatness that it not mine.

A/N: Yeah, so, it's been a long time. This piece was actually written ages ago, but I thought it was a piece of crap, so it didn't go up here. But then looking back now, I realize it's not really any less of a piece of crap than anything else I've written. Hmmm. You really do become a better writer when you study more...
It may be ages before another chapter. Give up hope now.

Love,
Mebmarker24