Hello all. I have returned, and I am very glad I did so. I was actually planning on discontinuing this fic, but then I decided that would be stupid and unfair seeing as I already have the ending planned out and fans that still want to read (or at least I hope you still do after that terribly long delay). So here I am.
Another note: Some earlier chapters of this fic were pre Harry Potter &DH so there are some inaccurate scenes that were squashed by the fact that Lily and Snape had indeed been friends. I intend to fix that eventually.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Many thanks to:
OstrasizedPotato:I am really sorry, this update was WAY longer than it should have been. Please forgive me.
RandomObsessivePyschoFangirl: There's much worse to come, and Lily will listen to James, rest assured. Although this chapter won't be it.
Super Shayde:Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad I can keep you hooked with my cliffhangers. We're getting closer to the end though, but there still a good few chapters to go.
Kybo: Always flattering to hear your comments. Of course they get in the middle of it all, they don't ALWAYS go looking for trouble. It sometimes has to go looking for them too. LoL, karma.
Gjcoolio: Heh, thanks. Sorry to disgust you. Glad you liked the chapter. I hope you can stick around until the end. Sorry to have taken so long to update.
Last chapter left off with James and Sirius discovering dead bodies in a section of Lily's neighborhood and James for the first time seeing the Dark Mark.
- - - - - - - - -
Crude Irony
Chapt 10 – Victory and Betrayal
The darkness before him was impenetrable, pressing against his eyes as he raced blindly across the hard, dirt-covered ground. His breathing was irregular and his muscles ached terribly. James glanced once or twice over his shoulder; he could see a figure slowly fading into the black until only his mask was visible.
The quick-paced beating of his heart reverberated loudly in the silence; he could almost hear someone laughing now and ran faster.
And then suddenly, the blackness faded and he stopped in his tracks to shield his eyes as a blinding green light immersed him. He was thrown back, unable even to scream until his back hit the cold, hard floor and he let out a gasp. Faces, pearl white beneath the shadow of green, were appearing around him; dead bodies were reaching for him. He could feel his own body growing numb, his vision fading, and he, himself, getting colder . . .
And still, the mirthless laughter rang on, loudly as ever.
"CRUCIO!"
James emitted one final cry as the curse tore through his flesh, ripping him from the inside. He could feel hot water running down his cold, pallid face.
Someone was calling his name.
The pain began to recede as the voice pierced through the torturing darkness.
"James, James! Get up!"
Almost animatedly, James's hazel eyes snapped open and he rose up into a sitting position, panting heavily and holding his head. The edge of his mattress rose suddenly as someone jumped to their feet.
"He looks sick," the same voice said frantically. "Get a compress."
"N-No," James said, and he was relieved to find that he had regained his voice. "No, I'm fine."
He looked up at the person speaking and was surprised to find her looking back, very red in the face and solicitous.
"Are you all right, Potter?" Lily asked, leaning over him and touching his forehead, but he pushed her hand away, only to realize that his was shaking violently. He was drenched in sweat and his heart was beating as if he had been running as fast as he had been in his mind a moment ago.
"Mate, how are you feeling?" Sirius asked, appearing before Lily so suddenly that she stepped back to avoid being pushed aside. "What was it? What were you dreaming?"
James looked up into his gray eyes and found himself breathing more heavily. The eyes . . . the eyes within the mask had been gray.
"N-Nothing h-happened," he choked, looking down at his bedcovers; they were tangled around him. "It was just . . . just a nightmare," he finished with a deep breath.
"You were screaming far too loudly for it to have been a mere nightmare," Lily insisted, for the first time in a long time actually looking very worried. "Tell us what happened before my parents come in."
"They won't," Sirius said hastily. "I charmed their door with muffliato. They won't hear a thing."
Lily looked as if she was about to ask him what muffliato did, but she instead looked back at James and said, "Please, tell me what happened?"
The overdone kindness would have softened him, but every thought running through James's head was telling him not to. He knew why he was seeing what he saw, but how was he going to explain to her why he'd been out last night when she specifically asked them not to?
And what about the pain he had felt at the end? Was it even possible to cast such a torturous spell? He tried to recall the incantation, but his mind had been too focused on everything else that was happening to have paid much attention to it. Still, it seemed so familiar . . .
"I-I was dueling," he said slowly, trying to erase the mirthless laughter from his thoughts. "I was caught off guard, that's all. Probably just the aftermath of yesterday's fight."
He avoided Lily's eyes as he spoke and focused instead on the old clock hanging on the wall. If the time was accurate, then it was now three o'clock in the morning.
"You're keeping something from me," Lily said sternly, clearly unconvinced of his story. All attempts at kindness had been abandoned. "That didn't sound like any ordinary duel."
"It was just a dream, all right?" James insisted, trying to avoid using a snappish tone. He could not bear to see her looking at him. Her eyes were full of concern rather than anger; it emphasized just how bad the situation must have been.
"E-Evans," he said hesitantly. "What . . . what was it that you saw . . . on the platform — back when we were all leaving the train?"
And just like that, her lips closed together so tightly they threatened disappearance. He entwined the memories of both her back then and Sirius last night and realized that they had worn the same horrified expression. Could she have seen what they saw?
For a second, she seemed as though she was going to get up and leave his question unanswered. However, after careful consideration of the fact that he might tell her if she told him, she sat back down at the foot of his bed and said slowly, "A man . . . he was dead, but it wasn't your usual accident. There was no blood, no wound. His eyes were open and hollow. It was a bit disturbing," she mumbled, looking away.
And suddenly, Sirius understood. He cast James a significant look, as if he had realized what he had been dreaming about.
"And that's it?" James asked. "You're absolutely sure he had no mark on him?"
At this, Lily looked up at him inquiringly and somewhat suspiciously. However, she took a moment to think carefully on what he had just asked and then shook her head.
"Not that I can remember, but why the inquiry?"
She narrowed her eyes at him and leaned an inch closer.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Potter?" she asked him very soberly. He could almost feel her eyes burning through his skull into his mind.
"No," he responded curtly and then looked away. "Look, I'm sorry to have awoken you two, but it was nothing, really—" he cast a significant glance at Sirius "—I'll be fine."
And with that said, he leaned back against his pillow and turned away. He could tell Lily was still watching him for several seconds. Finally, he felt his bed rise again as she got to her feet and made her way to the door with Sirius.
But at that moment, he sat back up, remembering something that brought a smile to his face.
"Oi, Evans," he called as Sirius became a part of the darkness in the corridor behind her.
She looked at him with her eyebrows raised and replied, "Yes?"
The grin on James's face grew wider and he said quietly, "You called me James."
Lily looked surprised for a fraction of a second, apparently having expected him to mention something about their conversation. Nevertheless, she nodded and turned her back to him to leave, but he was able to catch a glimpse of the corners of her mouth twitching before she, too, disappeared.
- - - - -
The next morning was full of the usual buzz as everyone awoke and began to prepare breakfast. James, who had overslept, heard Lily's father saying his quick good-byes before Mrs. Evans called him down to eat.
"There you are," Mrs. Evans said, beaming as he arrived a few minutes later and handing him a plate of eggs and bacon. "Would you like some toast?" she asked kindly, but James smiled and muttered, "No, thank you."
He was surprised to see another person sitting at the table in addition to Lily.
"'Morning Mierra," he said a little stiffly to the girl, for her eyes had been glued to him since the moment he noticed her. "Have you seen Sirius?" he asked, looking around.
"He left a moment ago," Lily replied as she buttered her toast.
James nodded tiredly and stifled another yawn. He had probably missed him on his way out of the room. When James sat down across Lily, he noticed that Mierra's eyes had followed him. He gave her a look and turned to Lily, but he didn't have to think much before the answer came to him.
She told her and now she thinks I'm mad. . .
Lily shifted slightly and Mierra let out a soft "Ouch" before turning away from James.
"I saw that," he said carelessly to Lily while stabbing his bacon with his fork.
"So, what are you lot going to be doing today?" Mrs. Evans asked while setting down some more crisped bread before them.
"Shouldn't we start decorating?" Lily asked, but her mother chuckled and said, "No, no, you can leave that to your father and I. Spend some time with your friends, dear."
"It'd be faster with magic," Lily insisted, casting an uneasy look at James at her mother's suggestion.
"Don't worry about it," Mrs. Evans insisted with a stern look. Again, James couldn't help but get suspicious at her mother's behavior.
"Hey," Mierra said suddenly, pointing at the television. She took out her wand and gave it a wave. The reporter's voice magnified and James found himself very interested in what she was saying.
"All direct witnesses were found dead at the scene. However, several neighborhood residents claim to have seen a series of red and green flashes. We caught up with Margaret Scippet a few blocks down to ask for her account."
The camera shifted now to reveal a plump old lady that looked as if she had just woken up. There were still curlers in her graying hair and she was wearing a faded pink dressing gown.
"I really don't know what to say. The whole thing was a disaster. I assume it had been a couple of teenagers messing around with fireworks to celebrate a little early, and I guess it just went out of control."
The camera switched back to the reporter and she continued:
"The circumstances are suspicious. Many lay dead all over lawns, streets, and even in their own homes. However, police have confirmed that none of the twenty-six bodies had so much as a burn on them."
"It was as if they just dropped dead of their own accord," a portly officer commented, shrugging.
James narrowed his eyes curiously, unaware that Lily had refocused her attention on him. No one had yet mentioned the mark he had seen in the sky. Had no one else noticed it? Perhaps the Aurors took care of it before anyone else arrived?
"So there you have it: twenty-six unscathed victims, a series of red and green sparks, vague witness accounts, and a very enigmatic story indeed," the reporter concluded. "Back to you, Jim."
"Oh dear," Mrs. Evans mumbled to herself. "And it was so close by, too. I don't know what's going on anymore. This isn't the first time something like this has happened within the past month alone. Best be careful," she said to the three of them before throwing her apron aside and exiting the kitchen through the double-doors.
With another wave of her wand, Mierra turned the volume down again and looked around at both Lily and James.
"What d'you reckon is happening?" she asked nervously. Neither of the two had an answer for her.
"Things are changing," Lily said very solemnly. She paused and looked down at her empty plate. Her hands were shaking slightly as she added, "One thing's certain though. Those attacks were definitely not the result of fireworks. There was magic involved. I just hope the Ministry will give us answers."
But James knew at once that this was out of the Ministry's control. He had seen all of those Aurors last night; not one of them seemed to know what they were dealing with.
He closed his eyes and thought about Remus and Peter. Were they even aware of what was going on? He imagined them laughing, spending time with their families, completely unknowing of what was unfolding around them.
His throat became dry. Or what if they did know? What if those creatures — those dark figures in masks — had caught up with them? What if they were torturing them as they had done to him last night in his dream?
Don't be stupid, he scolded himself fiercely. That's all it was — a dream. Such a spell doesn't even exist.
But he couldn't help wonder, then, why it felt so real . . .
"Truth be told, I'm rather worried about Lily."
James's head shot up at Remus' unexpected warning; his throat constricted as he recalled the fleeting memory.
"She's Muggle-born. You know how they are — vicious."
Muggle-born . . .
That was it. It all suddenly made sense. At the train station, down the block — they were attacking Muggles. His heart became very loud again in his head as he threw a glance at Lily. She was talking to Mierra, unaware that she was a perfectly vulnerable target. And what about her parents, her sister?
Well, her parents anyway . . .
He was spared the frightening mental images as Sirius' voice suddenly pierced through his frantic thoughts. He appeared through the double-doors announcing, "I have explained everything to Moony and Wormtail."
"How?" James asked, relieved to have been distracted. "You haven't an owl—"
"Floo Powder," Sirius said carelessly. "Anyway, Remus is worried more about us than about what happened. He urges us to keep our noses out of this and says to put an Imperturbable Charm on Lily's house."
"An Imperturbable Charm will do nothing against them. They wiped out an entire block in less than a minute, their magic is superior to ours," James interrupted, but Sirius just went on with his message.
"And Wormtail," he continued carelessly, reverting back to nicknames, "spent no less than five minutes rambling on about how we're all going to die if we don't go back to Hogwarts."
"Well that's typical," James muttered, taking another bite of his omelet.
The tension in the room was beginning to disappear now that Sirius had arrived. He put on a big grin and announced, "It's a lovely day to plaster the windows white. If anyone needs me, I'll be outside."
And grabbing a piece of toast, he disappeared once more through the double-doors.
James found himself sitting alone that afternoon with his face pressed against the icy window. Despite the ominous events taking place right beneath them all, everyone seemed to be lighthearted and festive. The block that had received the damage last night was now covered by yellow tape that read: POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS. It was blackened and murky-looking beneath the layers of glistening snow, but everyone had completely disregarded it, no doubt assuming that it had indeed just been some pesky teenagers messing around with fireworks.
Children still played around in their yards, throwing snowballs at each other and laughing cheerfully. Adults were still speaking carelessly amongst each other through the curtains of their windows. Mrs. Evans was humming to herself in the living room as she cheerily prepared for the coming holiday. Even Sirius seemed to be enjoying himself as he bewitched hoards of snow to fly at unsuspecting passerby (Mierra had fallen victim to it and returned inside with a face full, muttering under her breath about obnoxious neighborhood children). Still, he wasn't fooled by the façade.
Though laughing joyously at Mierra, James saw that there were times when his friend would stop for a moment, frowning, and he knew that Sirius was desperately trying to forget about what he had seen, but there was no use. The image was permanently embedded in their minds.
The front door slammed shut and James jerked his head away from the window; the part of his face that had been pressed against it was now pale and cold. Seconds later, Lily entered the kitchen, thickly wrapped in sweatshirts and a long coat. There were flakes of snow captured in her thick, wavy, crimson hair and her lips were starting to turn blue. She didn't even look at James when she sat down at the table and took an apple from the fruit bowl.
"Something's wrong with you," she guessed suddenly, catching him off guard.
He looked around to make sure he was the only other person in the room before saying, "I'm sorry?"
"You're upset," Lily elaborated, "about something. Ever since this morning you've been looking rather . . . peaky. Care to share what's on your mind?"
She took a bite out of her apple without so much as glancing at him.
"I'm just a little worried, that's all," he replied simply, turning back to the window to watch a snowball fly straight into a passing ten year old. Sirius' laughter rang in his head, echoing that of the mysterious figure in his dream. A part of him was itching to tell her everything, but he knew she would overreact.
"We're all a little worried," Lily said quietly, still not looking at him and he, likewise, not looking at her, "but we're trying to push it aside and move on. Things happen, and we all know that this is no coincidence, but honestly, who do you think is going to attack us this early in the day?"
James watched the falling snow — pure, white little flakes that so contrasted with what was going on inside his mind. He knew that she was speaking sensibly now, but he could not see himself trying to act as if it was all behind them. They didn't see what he saw — they didn't witness the giant serpent emerging from that skull's mouth, they didn't feel that almost existent pain that he had had to endure, and, worse than anything, they didn't see the dead child staring blankly into the night sky, never to see its splendor again.
There were so many things he had been keeping, even from Sirius. His stomach gave an uneasy turn. He recalled how he had been only a few weeks ago — foolish, uncaring, unknowing, and more eager than ever at the thought of staying with the Evanses over the holidays.
It was all turning into a disaster.
"James . . ."
James jumped in surprise and whipped around. Lily was no longer sitting in her chair at the other end of the kitchen. She was now standing right beside him, looking up at him. He could feel her emerald eyes staring disconcertedly into his hazel ones; the intensity of her gaze was making him feel very hot . . . too hot for a winter's day. She had never looked at him like that. And yet again, she had called him by his first name . . .
James managed to pry his eyes away from hers as the urge to lean closer began to overwhelm him. He knew that he was allowing himself to get too hopeful. She was trying to get on his better side in exchange for answers, that was all. It was nothing more than that.
"I'll tell you what," she said, grabbing his sleeve when he turned away. "How about we take a nice little flight with Black and Mierra at the park? No one will be there, not after what's been going on. The outdoors will do you some good."
James suddenly found the falling snow very interesting as he tried as best as he could to keep his eyes off of Lily. The very thought of getting back on his broom thrilled him, but the idea that Lily was being so kind to him made him a little uneasy. Nevertheless, he looked up (still forcing his eyes to stray from hers) and said, "I guess it couldn't hurt. . ."
No one else seemed to have any objections to the idea, for as soon as Lily suggested it, Mierra and Sirius were running upstairs to retrieve their brooms. After camouflaging themselves with the Disillusionment Charm, the four set off, led by Lily, to the deserted park she had been speaking of.
The distance was only a minute away by flight, and when they arrived, James was unsurprised to see almost everything had taken the white shade of the flakes that were falling from the cloudy sky. The playground, trees, and field had all been veiled by thick sheets of snow. They were nearly undistinguishable. Lily was right — the area was completely deserted except for the four of them.
"Right. Let's take the charms off so that we can all see each other," Mierra announced, tapping herself with her wand. She had been staring at a particularly empty space before her, convinced that someone was floating there. Lily was next to appear, alongside Sirius. James drew out his own wand and tapped himself with it. An odd liquid-like feeling snaked up his spine and he shivered involuntarily.
"So," Lily said, looking around blankly at the others. "What d'you want to do?"
"Well," said Sirius, pulling what seemed to be a stolen cricket ball from the inside of his cloak, "I know what Prongs and I are going to be doing. You girls can watch if you want." He tapped the ball with his wand and it grew several sizes bigger until it resembled a Quaffle. "Knicked it off of that little girl earlier," he whispered to James, who had a difficult time repressing a grin at Sirius' ignorance to the fact that it was a boy he had pummeled.
With another wave of the wand, three floating rings were conjured on either side of the field.
"What do you mean 'you girls can watch'?" Lily barked at him, and James was relieved to see that her expression had regained its usual fiery passion. "You believe we are incapable of flying? Do we lack certain requirements — ten fingers perhaps?"
Sirius let out an almost bark-like laugh and turned to look at Lily.
"Lighten up, Evans, I'm just teasing. You two are more than welcome to play if you can deal with the embarrassment."
Lily's cheeks turned almost as red as her hair and her eyes flashed dangerously. She held on tightly to her broom and descended onto the snow-covered ground, mounted and ready.
"All right then. Girls versus boys. Let's see what you can do."
Sirius accepted the challenge and, likewise, dived down until his feet were touching the ground. Mierra joined Lily on the opposite end of the field and James flew down to Sirius.
However, when he set his trainers down against the ground, he was surprised to find that no snow crunched beneath them. Instead, when he looked down, he saw that he was standing on what looked like a vast, ice-covered lake that stretched on as far he could see over his shoulder. Though seemingly white, he was able to make out hints of black reflecting off of the ice.
"All right," Sirius yelled to the girls, "here are the rules: There will be no Keepers, seeing as we're short several players. No Seeker, no Beaters. Instead, each team has only two Chasers. The objective is to try to steal the Quaffle before they can score against you. You are allowed to try to knock people off their brooms as a regular Beater would, but you are not to use wands unless it is to slow your fall if you are thrown off."
James was only taking in fractions of Sirius' words. For some odd reason, this lake intrigued him. It reminded him so much of Hogwarts' black lake and it too, he noticed, separated into little streams that disappeared behind a thick mass of trees. He craned his neck to see a little further, but there was nothing he could make out from within the forest — only blackness. He made a note to avoid flying over the vast assortment of trees; he did not want to fall off his broom and end up in a place like that.
"All right, on three then . . ." Sirius bellowed, pulling out his wand and levitating the ball in the midpoint of the playing field. "One . . ."
James drew his eyes away from the foreboding woods and leaned closer against his broom.
"Two . . ."
He pulled out his wand and muttered, "Impervius" to shield his glasses from the falling snow. Sirius glanced at him, smirked, and then jerked his wand upward so that the Quaffle was thrown into the air.
"Three."
James kicked off the slippery ice rather clumsily, but regained his composure as he picked up speed and tore through the air. An inexpressible feeling surged through him as the wind whipped smoothly against his face. It was as if the gloomy malevolence that had been choking him was beginning to disappear. He had so longed for such freedom . . .
James stretched out a hand as Mierra sped straight at him from the opposite end. She smirked lightly at him and reached out for the "Quaffle" as well, but James closed his arm around it and swerved out of the way, reminding himself not to get too close to the foliage.
"Padfoot!" he called, tossing the ball through the air. Sirius darted through the sky and appeared right beside it in the blink of an eye, closing his hand around it and zooming straight past Mierra for the opposite goal . . .
James flew closer to the center of the field so that he was now alongside his fellow Chaser.
"Evans," Sirius said suddenly, lifting the handle of his broom so that he flew upwards, but he wasn't quick enough. To James's utter bewilderment, Lily had appeared out of nowhere and collided with Sirius' shoulder. He stumbled sideways off his broom as she grabbed the released Quaffle and flew off towards their goals.
"Padfoot," James gasped, but Sirius had grasped onto his broomstick, performed an aerial flip, and appeared seated right side up looking somewhat dumbfounded.
Wasting no time, James pulled to the left and spun around so that he was now hot on Lily's trail. She spared a glance over her shoulder, but by the time her eyes rested on him, he was now right beside the tail of her broom.
"Get lost, Potter" she said with a dark smirk. James frowned at her sudden change of character, realizing that she was wearing the very look she hated about him. And yet, he liked the aggressiveness in her tone . . .
Without warning, she pulled herself to a halt and stretched her arm back. James barely registered what had happened, but his subconscious mind and skilled reflexes caused him to stop as well, though due to the sudden jolt, he ended up spiraling a little ahead of her before coming to a halt looking briefly dazed.
He reached out an arm as the Quaffle came flying towards the middle ring and caught it effortlessly.
"Good save, Prongs!" Sirius called from the opposite end of the field. Lily looked taken aback and James raised a brow at her, grinning. He leaned forward and took off again, throwing the ball admirably across the pitch to Sirius, who caught it and sped forward.
However, Mierra proved to be an obstacle as she circled around the three goals, eyeing him warily.
"Oi, Dawson!" he called, grabbing her attention. Then, almost as quickly, he tossed the Quaffle to James who flew around the goals instead of shooting. The move had been fortunate on his part, for Mierra had dived toward the left goal to catch it, but she found herself empty handed, leaving James a clear shot when he came back around on the right.
"One, nil!" Sirius bellowed as James thrust it through the ring. He clapped hands with him and ruffled his hair when he returned. "You ladies get the Quaffle," he said in mock politeness to Lily as she flew past, glaring daggers at them both.
The game prolonged another hour (James constantly showing off with various moves that he was well known for back at Hogwarts and Sirius surprising everyone with an impressive goal that required him to knock the Quaffle in by flipping forward on his broom and hitting it with its tail) until the score reached eleven to two. The girls were looking very agitated by now, but Lily seemed determined to put up a good fight.
James had to admit though that they were individually playing very impressively. Their only weaknesses were that they weren't strong on the passing and that they were playing against a Quidditch legend and the person who had helped train him since their first year together at Hogwarts (secretly of course, seeing as broomsticks weren't allowed).
Nevertheless, he admired Lily's remarkable Sloth Grip Roll that had managed to get her past him and score a goal for her team. But when he had asked why she hadn't tried out as a Gryffindor Chaser, she simply retorted, with indifference, "Because that would have required me to work alongside you, wouldn't it?"
It was only after Sirius announced the score that he drew out his wand, caught the Quaffle in midair, and called a timeout. James, Lily, and Mierra all stopped and turned to look at him.
"What's up?" Mierra inquired slightly irritably.
"Our score," Sirius said, unable to suppress a grin, "by nine points. Am I the only one noticing that we're forming a landslide?"
"That doesn't prove anything except that you two spend more time with your heads in the clouds," Lily retorted, pulling several strands of hair from her face against the wind.
"All right then," James suggested. "Let's make it fair then. We'll form new teams. One of us each goes with one of you. How does that sound?"
Lily was slightly taken aback by this, but she recovered quickly and regained her cool composure.
"Fine. We'll choose."
"Go on then," Sirius tempted. "Who do you want?"
James's eyes immediately darted from Sirius to Lily and he found himself thinking desperately, Me.
"You," she said, looking at Sirius, much to James's disappointment. He deflated rapidly as he watched him nod and the two flew over to the other end of the field.
"Come on," Mierra said to him as she receded in the opposite direction. James followed her, feeling the knot in his stomach loosen barely. He had practiced alongside Mierra before, back in their second year when he was still serving as the Gryffindor Seeker. She had played well enough, but of course, he couldn't forget that back then the circumstances were a little different. He doubted she would have cared at all to do well now.
"All right then. Same rules apply, and now that I've got Evans on my side, I needn't worry too much about the beating part," Sirius announced verbosely. "Score goes by ten now, game ends at fifty. On three then — one, two . . ."
As soon as he hit three, James was off again, speeding for the Quaffle. It was a close call; he caught it just before Sirius had managed to, and the two of them partially collided before either could separate.
Nevertheless, he shrugged it off and tossed the ball to the right where Mierra was awaiting the pass. She dove under Lily and tossed it back rather clumsily to James, but Sirius took hold of it instead.
"Evans!" he called unnecessarily, for Lily was already by the unguarded goals when he tossed her the Quaffle.
James spun around swiftly and dove after her. She stretched out a hand to catch it, but he caught her astonished look when he streaked past the narrow distance between her and the ball and grasped it right out from in front of her.
"Nice try, Evans," he said, flipping around to face her. She had stopped, apparently still recovering from his surprisingly rapid save. He wanted nothing more right now than to rub it in, to make her regret not having picked him.
Diving down again, he passed the Quaffle back to Mierra, who barely caught it.
"Don't struggle," he advised as they flew towards the opposite goals. "Just ease up, relax. Just like we used to—"
He caught himself short as the words slipped his tongue. Fortunately though, Lily didn't seem to have heard. She was flying some distance above them, whereas Sirius had strangely disappeared.
James looked back at Mierra, feeling a strong wave of guilt pass through him at the odd feeling he had had; a part of him was actually hoping Lily had heard, just to get a reaction.
"Hey!" Mierra suddenly announced cheerily, throwing him the Quaffle. He caught it with ease and smiled.
"Good," he said. "Like that."
"Sorry to interrupt your session," Sirius' voice said from his left. James whipped around so quickly that he felt a painful crick in his neck. Lily dove in right between him and Mierra and both she and Sirius rammed into him, forcing him to release the Quaffle as she caught hold of it and turned back around.
Mierra stopped and turned, laughing.
"Are you all right?" she said, but James was frowning as he straightened his glasses.
"Oi, Dawson," he said, catching her unawares at the use of her last name, "remember that three-part tactic I taught you?"
She paused a second to recall what he was talking about and then smiled somewhat wickedly. "I think so . . ."
"Wonderful," James said, with an equally deviant smirk. "Sirius, mate!"
Sirius, who had currently had the Quaffle in possession, thrust it effortlessly through James's and Mierra's middle goal ring and turned around with a sneer.
"Yes, Prongs?" he asked, but his grin slid off his face as James flew past, whipping him lightly with his cloak and nearly causing him to fall off his broom.
"Enjoy your lead while it lasts," he called behind him, snatching the falling Quaffle and turning around so fast that Sirius had barely managed to balance himself by the time James soared past him again, this time tossing the Quaffle to Mierra and shoving Sirius so hard that he was thrown off his broom and had to grab hold of it with his hands.
Lily didn't hesitate to follow her brunette friend at full speed, but she had barely caught up when Mierra threw the ball to James, who in turn caught it and tossed it back as soon as Lily refocused her attention on him.
Mierra didn't even get a good grip on it by the time she passed it back, and the trend continued for several more yards as they neared their rivals' goals. . .
Lily's eyes were following the rapidly moving Quaffle back and forth, desperately trying to get a grip on it, but her opponents were too quick.
Finally, she lunged forward, her fingers barely brushing against the Quaffle's surface as James sent it back. She had nearly closed her hand around it when Mierra performed a surprisingly tricky move that Lily suspected had James Potter's name copyrighted all over it.
Mierra closed her hands around the handle of her broomstick and pushed her lower body up onto it. Lily nearly let the Quaffle slip from her grasp as her friend pulled herself onto the broom and let go, slowly rising into a standing position. Then, quickly, she turned left, directly towards the startled Lily, and for a second the latter thought that they were going to crash.
However, Mierra kicked off her broom and leapt right over her. Performing a sort of cartwheel, she closed her hands around the Quaffle while upside down and then snatched it right out of Lily's hands before landing seated on her broom, which had flown right under her red-haired friend.
Lily stared blankly for a second at the spot where she had just been before turning now to her left and seeing her friend's cloak whip out of sight as she sped forward.
James flew right, over the awestruck girl and then dived until he was level with her. A foreboding smile crept onto his lips. He did not want her to miss a second of this . . .
As Mierra thrust the Quaffle through the right goal and then darted around the ring to knock it back to her teammate, James flew left.
Lily stopped so abruptly that she nearly fell forward off her broom, for he had just appeared before her. Then, very grandiloquently, James flipped backwards off his broom and landed on its end with his hands. He kicked the Quaffle that Mierra had passed back and sent it straight through the left goal in a fraction of a second.
Lily, by now, was staring very blankly. She had given up trying to retrieve the Quaffle and merely sat, watching, as James withdrew from his handstand and sat back down, smiling at her as Mierra caught up with the ball just as she was flying over the middle ring. Swiftly, she caught it, swerved, and thrust it in with all the force she could muster. The aim was off, but she managed to just barely make it in.
"Thirty to ten," James bellowed loudly to Sirius, flaunting a very blatant smirk. He caught a glimpse of Mierra smiling at him before turning away frowning, suddenly feeling a little uneasy.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Sirius demanded, looking just as dumbstruck as the motionless Lily.
"Bloody brilliant, wasn't it?" James said coolly, flying past the three rings to retrieve the Quaffle.
"More like bloody unfair," Sirius said darkly. "All right then. You're up by twenty. Still close enough to catch up."
James let out a laugh that sounded very much like mockery and said, "You wish."
Then, tossing the Quaffle to Sirius, he flew back around the field to guard his own rings, deeply hoping that Mierra would choose to remain near the enemy's side. However, despite his internal pleas, she had followed after him and was now readying to confront Sirius.
James watched them struggle with each other and debated with himself whether to join in or to guard Lily. In the end, however, he listened more to desire than to strategy and flew closer to the shivering girl.
"You know, it'd be a lot less cold if you were to actually move around," he suggested, stopping right beside her.
"We've been at this for over an hour. I can't feel my hands anymore. How do you expect me to fly without falling off my broom?" Lily responded breathlessly, sparing only a fleeting glance at him as she watched Mierra shove Sirius in a hopeless attempt to steal the Quaffle.
"Well, if you're worried about falling," James said, trying his best to fight back the playful smile that was creeping onto his lips, "I can always catch you."
Lily turned to give him a look before saying very quietly to herself, "You're back to normal . . ."
James laughed heartily and looked down at his hands — they were less than a foot away from hers.
"By the way," Lily said suddenly, lifting her gaze again as Sirius scored against Mierra. She bellowed, "Potter!" but James ignored it. "When exactly did you have a chance to teach Mierra those moves?"
James's heart froze in his throat. That was off topic.
"Why the sudden interest?" he asked, though his voice was seriously lacking its usual confidence. Lily paused a moment as if thinking what to say and then shrugged.
"I don't know . . . I guess I was just so startled that someone who plays like Mierra would be able to perform such a complicated technique. Obviously she didn't learn it herself, and since you didn't deny that you were the one who showed it to her, I can only assume you two had a lot of time to spend practicing it—"
"No," James said flatly. "She was curious, that's all. She had considered trying out as a Chaser for the team so I showed her a technique that she could've used—"
"And yet with a move like that she didn't make the team?" Lily inquired rather unperturbedly. "Strange though, she never mentioned anything to me about trying out for Quidditch . . ."
"She didn't," James invented at once. "Lack of confidence brought her down."
Lily was saved the trouble of having to respond when Mierra's voice called out to them.
"Sorry to interrupt what I'm sure must've been a very fascinating conversation, but we're in the middle of a game, Potter, and Black's caught up with us."
She said this so coldly that James couldn't help but wonder if the girl was even sorry at all to have intervened. Nevertheless, he gave Lily a curt nod and took off again, but not before she said, "And Potter . . . next time you wish for me to stop interrogating you about your countless affairs, just come right out and say it."
James watched her fly off with a very deep frown on his face that threatened to blemish his handsome features. There was something about the way she said "countless" that made him feel as if his heart had dropped from his throat to his stomach.
And yet, was she wrong?
The game progressed uneventfully as Sirius and Mierra fought tremendously with each other, each trying to score against the other. Every now and then, James would intervene and make a slick save, but otherwise, he retired to flying aimlessly around the pitch. Lily was levitating below him, waiting for the Quaffle that she was probably hoping wouldn't come.
Twice, James thought to go talk to her, and twice, he found himself unable to. It was true that he had dated nearly every Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in his year and a few older Hufflepuffs, but what did it matter? Hadn't she always said no to him anyway? Sometimes, he couldn't help wonder what Lily Evans' problem was with him. Everyone else thought him to be a gift to the world — she acted as though she couldn't care less if he was alive or not.
James was jerked back to reality at a heavy collision with his and Sirius' shoulders. He gripped his broomstick firmly and rebalanced himself just as Sirius raised his hand to throw the Quaffle. Mierra intercepted his attempt, however, by pushing herself against his arm. The result was a very poorly aimed throw that was to be followed by a fierce collision with Lily Evans' head.
James sat on his broom stupidly for the second to follow, mouth gaping open and mind racing. She had lost her grip; she was falling . . .
Mentally smacking himself back to the world, he tore after her in the swiftest dive that he had ever managed to pull off. He could hear Sirius tailing him. James leaned as far forward as he could and held out his hand. Lily, gazing somewhat dumbstruck, didn't even seem to feel his fingers wrap around her wrist.
James pulled out of the dive with the same impressive rapidity, lifting her onto his broom. He seated her in front of him and she swayed slightly before coming to.
"Sorry, Evans," Sirius said, slowly flying past them; James had come to a halt, afraid to make any sudden movements for threat of her falling off. "Are you all right?"
"Don't worry, she'll come around," James said, silently urging Sirius to leave him alone at this opportune moment. Fortunately enough, their many years of communicating with facial expressions throughout detentions had led Sirius to catch onto James's silent entreaty. He nodded and took off again with a grin.
Lily moaned slightly and took hold of the broom with one hand, the other flying up to her head and pressing against it with her palm.
"That . . . hurt," she mumbled to herself.
"Would you like me to kiss it for you?" James asked a little childishly, causing Lily to jump, startled, and turn around to face him. She looked absolutely mortified when she saw just how close she was to him. However, the look quickly melted and she looked back down at the twenty foot distance between them and the snow-covered ground.
"Yeah, you can go ahead and let me fall now," she said wryly. James couldn't help but laugh at the remark, though he wished he hadn't. If the girl of his dreams was choosing a twenty foot drop against sitting on the same broomstick as him, something was seriously wrong.
"I can never figure you out," he blurted suddenly, realizing what he had said a second too late.
"What's there to figure out?" Lily asked him, trying hard to inch forward and as far from him as possible.
James cursed himself for allowing that to slip, but there was no point in hiding his inner debates any longer.
"Well, one minute you're all concerned about me and acting as if we've been lifelong friends, and then the next you're practically telling me you'd rather be dead than be a foot close to me. Now, as you can probably imagine, we guys aren't as complex as you women, so when you lead us on one minute and then pretty much slap us in the face the next, it often confuses the crap out of us."
"Then let me make this as clear to you as possible," Lily said very slowly. "Our third year together, you asked me out, I said no. Our fourth year together, you asked me out, I said no. Our fifth year together, you asked me out, I said no. An hour after that you asked me out again, and again, I said no. Sixth year was a no, seventh year was a no. Now tell me something, did your parents ever define the word 'no' for you?"
James paused a moment before answering, "No. Everything with them is always a 'Yes'."
Lily didn't seem surprised at all.
"Well that explains a lot," she mumbled.
"Evans, if you move any further you're going to end up leaving a very accurate imprint of yourself in the snow," James warned, seeing that she was now only inches away from the edge.
"Thanks for the warning," Lily said dryly.
"I'm telling you, girls should come with a warning label whenever they're about to have mood swings."
And as Lily turned to give him a very pitying look, James found himself subconsciously wondering what he could have done in the past few hours that made her so hostile again. And then everything clicked. A sly grin crept onto his face, deepening Lily's unpleasant expression.
"What?" she asked him.
"You're jealous," he said, almost laughing.
"Beg pardon?"
"You've figured out that I dated Mierra for a week in our second year and now you're seething with bitter contempt," he said confidently. "Rest assured, however, that it was a onetime, meaningless thing and I have not and do not have any desire to start over with her, so you may lay your insecurities to rest."
He was unsure whether it was the weather's doing or merely Lily's, but her cheeks were steadily turning a light shade of pink. Her eyes, so full of concern only hours ago, were wide and disbelieving. Her mouth was gaping open slightly. Again, James found it very difficult to keep himself from leaning closer to her . . .
. . . The urge was gone as soon as she found her voice.
"Yes," she said shortly with defeated sarcasm, "Yes, you're absolutely right. All this time there was a savage beast inside of me, seeking to tear my very friend to pieces over a guy that I'm desperately in love with and have, therefore, turned down so many bloody times, making it perfectly clear that I value dirt more than him. Thank you, Potter, for calming the beast within me. I appreciate it, really."
And, pulling out her wand, she Summoned her broom back and transferred onto it, leaving James with a look that seemed to balance between a triumphant grin and a very baffled frown.
Sirius and Mierra had apparently forgotten all about them, for they were still at it, each trying to pry the Quaffle from the other's hands. Lily had joined in now, looking refreshed and ready for aggressive competition. James was unsure of whether he was exaggerating or not, but he could have sworn that she shot a very nasty look at Mierra.
He was desperate now for a reaction from her; he had to know if what she had just said was a load of rubbish to conceal the thought of him being right. . .
And so, James rejoined the game as well, catching Sirius completely off his guard and stealing the ball. He tossed it to Mierra who immediately flew towards the opposite end. Lily, still glaring moodily, shot after her.
"Knock her off her broom Evans!" Sirius called. "It's all right, she practically did the same to you earlier—"
But Lily was not listening to his words, nor was she seeking to attempt murder on Mierra. Instead, she shot a quick glance at James (catching him completely by surprise) and then flew under her. Very quickly, and rather inexpertly, Lily copied James's move and flipped backwards on her broom, kicking the Quaffle right out of Mierra's arm.
She landed back shakily and then ascended to catch it before the girl even comprehended that she had been snuck up on. James was so taken aback by Lily's abrupt conversion to dangerous impulse that he did nothing to stop her from flying right past him and scoring.
"What was that?" Mierra asked, stunned, and James found himself wondering the same thing.
"It was bloody brilliant! Point game now. Forty to thirty," Sirius stated, tossing James the Quaffle.
He caught it purely on reflex, for his mind had not yet recovered from Lily's anger-driven move. What was it that upset her so much? Surely it was not something he said, or she would have shrugged it off by now. He would have given anything right about now to learn what was going on in her mind. Clearly, something they had spoken about was unnerving her.
Carelessly, he tossed the Quaffle to Mierra and went to guard Sirius, though not for the reason that he would be giving her an easier attempt at scoring. He was curious to see what Lily would dish out next. However, he was disappointed to see that she was no longer daring to try a stunt like the she one she had pulled anytime soon. Instead, she merely tried to retrieve the ball, but Mierra aimlessly tossed it.
James soared forward as it rebounded off the edge of the ring and knocked it back with his arm, scoring them another ten points and tying with Sirius and Lily.
As they returned to their opposite sides, James could feel Lily's dazzling green eyes gazing at him, burning through him. She had regained her vulgar, that was for sure.
The Quaffle was passed to Sirius, who then gave it to Lily, undoubtedly itching to see what else she could do. This time, however, it was James who decided to confront her. Ordering Mierra to take the other end of the field, he receded readily as Lily approached.
He had expected her to draw back her arm and throw it as hard as she could at him, for him to break her attempt and surprise her with yet another of his magnificent saves. Instead, however, Lily came to a stop and tossed it over her shoulder at Sirius, who was heading straight for the right goal—
But James had not earned his immense popularity as a Chaser by allowing a surprise like that to perturb him. He darted after Sirius, kneed the ball right out of his grip, caught it, and then tossed it, with all the strength he could muster, across the field toward Mierra.
Caught off guard and unwilling to release her broom to catch it, she quickly spun around and knocked it forcefully with the tail of her broom straight into the middle goal, earning them their win.
It took a moment for the events to sink in before her confusion turned to an ecstatic expression of triumph. No one in the world could have competed with the overly eager grin she was now wearing.
Deeply satisfied at the look on Lily's face at Mierra making the winning shot, James descended from his broom and stepped foot on the ground, feeling rather lightheaded at the sudden change of elements. Sirius appeared right beside him, clapping him on the back and saying, "Good game, Prongs, though I'm not too giddy about you nearly dislocating my jaw."
"Anytime, mate," James said serenely, turning to walk away.
And then, completely unexpected, unplanned, and unwanted, James felt his knees buckle as someone threw themselves onto him in a tight embrace. To his utter horror, he felt a pair of lips entwine with his own, sending an erupted wave of panic through his body.
Apparently, his offender got the same reaction, for just as quickly as it had happened, she pulled away, leaving James staring horrorstruck at a mortified Mierra.
The smile that had expressed her clear euphoria at the game's end was nowhere to be seen. Her cheeks were now pure red of embarrassment. She mouthed a swear word that James had found himself thinking just before he turned around.
The blistering heat rising rapidly in his face was nothing under the blazing eyes of Lily Evans. Her broom nearly slipped from her weak grasp as she stood, frozen. Thick locks of crimson fluttered gently against her reddened face. She looked mutinous, venomous — and then . . .
Her expression hardened to stone, and she gazed dispassionately at him — standing there pathetically, anxious hazel eyes widened to their fullest extent and body steadily turning to lead — before turning on her heel and storming off against the rush of wind and snow until she was no more.
The poor guy never gets a break does he? Lily Evans is always turning away from him. But don't worry, it can still get better . . . right?