A/N: Warning, explicit lemon in this section, chapters 86-88
Also, Eschient (thanks for your reviews) reminded me that I had not credited the original author of this fic, nor provided the necessary link so I have amended the introduction to reflect this. Thanks.
83.
As they were speaking, the Slytherin beater Goyle had neatly coordinated with McNair to steer a bludger at the Gryffindor keeper Flynn, knocking him out and off his broom. Madam Hooch deftly caught him then blew on the silver whistle to signal a break.
"He needs medical attention!" Madam Hooch yelled. She descended to the ground then released Flynn into the hands of several Gryffindor students so that they could take him to the infirmary. She rose into the air again then pointed at the Slytherins, "Penalty, one shot."
James called in the reserve keeper.
Harry sat quietly on his broom, "Twelve minutes after opening, the first casualty."
"Last year there were three Gryffindors and four Slytherins injured, the year before, four Gryffindors and four Slytherins." James was matter of fact, "It's all for the sake of winning."
After only fifteen seconds, Sirius sent a bludger at the Slytherin Beater Oslo, breaking his right arm. Slytherin had to send in a reserve.
"1:1." James voice was uncommonly upbeat.
Harry glared at him, but before he could respond a flash of gold streaked over James' head and moved upwards at a slant.
The snitch!
Both Harry and James aimed their brooms up and flew closely after the snitch. The snitch fluttered its wings and flew between their grasping hands like a fish slicing through water, flying towards chaos. The match was very confrontational and the players were concentrated into a small area, penalties occurring in countless ways and the players were barely able to stay balanced on their brooms. The entry of the snitch and the two seekers into this chaos broke the dangerous balance, their speeds were extreme and they created more chaos wherever they went, there were also intermittent aerial acrobatics. Both Harry and James were in a bit of trouble as their brooms were flying too fast while there were too many people around them, several times they almost swerved into bludgers when trying to avoid crashing into other players, each escape was both death-defying and terrifying.
Gryffindor 50, Slytherin 50, Gryffindor 80, Slytherin 70, Gryffindor 100, Slytherin 120…
The scores rose in turn and injured players were replaced one after the other, after one and half hours play, the injuries were at Slytherin 4 and Gryffindor 5.
Harry had no time to consider these statistic, all he could see was the golden snitch. The Firebolt was faster than the Nimbus 1981 and he was close behind the snitch with James most of a broom length behind him.
There are no gentlemen in Quidditch. James continually attacked the back of the Firebolt, hitting it with the front of his Nimbus 1981, harder each time, the right hand not holding the broom also reached out to pull on the rear of the Firebolt, trying to drag it back and slow Harry down.
More skilled, Harry was not slowed by James' attacks, he held tightly to the Firebolt and swerved up and down, left and right, time and again shaking off James' hand, his ever-changing position evading many of James' attempt to hit him with his Nimbus 1981.
James clenched his teeth, "Harry, you're a coward, you don't even have the guts to face me head on, you're just relying on your faster broom!" He was yelling very loudly, otherwise Harry would not be able to hear what he was saying.
Harry was laughing, "James, brooms are a part of Quidditch, don't be so childish." He answered without turning around or dividing his attention, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the little golden ball in front of him.
"Face me like a man, Harry, I'm more skilled than you!" James continued to taunt him, his nerves wound tight as he waited for the slightest relaxation or mistake from Harry.
"James, try something else, I won't fall for such inept words." Harry was still laughing, not slowing for a moment as he got closer and closer to the snitch.
James was frantic, taunts, pulling on his broom, nothing was working, Harry was not falling for it, what was he going to do now?
Suddenly the golden snitch pulled to a stop then abruptly turned downwards.
Harry was unable to stop right way and flew a little past the snitch. James was overjoyed and took the opportunity to push his broom downwards, reaching out for the snitch.
Recognizing that he was about to lose the snitch, Harry decided to make a dangerous play. He turned the broom downwards, then lifted both legs to use the Firebolt as a launching point, then he pushed off with his legs and jumped—
"Merlin!" "Oh, no!"
In the sea of screams, Voldemort's expression was feral as he immediately stood and pulled his wand, preparing to rescue Harry.
Gravity combining with his speed, Harry felt lightheaded as though he might pass out, but he still kept his eyes open, reaching out his arm, he was getting closer and closer… he caught it!
84.
Harry tightened his fingers, using all his strength to cage the wildly fluttering snitch, the Firebolt, spelled by Voldemort, flew downwards at unprecedented speed, Harry grabbed on to it and the Firebolt rose into the air, clipping James' Nimbus 1981. Stunned still by Harry's reckless move, James had forgotten that he was also flying towards the ground and made no move to evade the Firebolt, the tail of the broom clipped James heavily on his left hand which was holding onto the broom, unbalanced, James fell from mid-air.
Harry's first reaction on climbing onto the Firebolt was to raise his right hand high to show the snitch to everyone in the stands and on the pitch. The Slytherin students were jubilant, frantically waving their silver and green scarves, jumping up and down in glee. Snape and Lucius also wanted to cheer but the murderous expression on Voldemort's face made them change their minds, we can celebrate when we get back to the common room, so as not to add to Voldemort's ire, they thought
Harry was also laughing happily as he flew over to the Slytherin section of the stands, enjoying the cheers of the students, until his gaze reached the thunderous expression on Voldemort's face, his heart stuttered, his smile froze on his face, and there was only one thought in his mind:
He was dead!
"Damn you Harry Potter, you wanker! You did that on purpose!" Even half a field away and over the cheering of the Slytherin students, Sirius' bellow was clearly audible over the entire pitch, Harry shuddered in surprised fright then turned to look at Sirius, whose eyes were red with rage, approaching rapidly on his broom, looking as though he wanted to kill Harry.
McNair and Burbank flew over to restrain Sirius on each side, McNair snarked, "Hey mate, you snooze you lose, we Slytherins aren't as churlish when we lose like you Gryffindors."
Sirius was so angry veins were popping up all over his face, he stared at Harry in hatred, wanting to fly up and punch him, unfortunately both McNair and Burbank were huge and he couldn't break free, "We Gryffindors have never attacked your seekers after catching the snitch!"
Attack? Harry was completely confused, he had attacked James? When? He instinctually looked towards the ground to see James being carted away on a stretcher, the other Gryffindor players carrying him away from the pitch.
One of the Slytherin players flew to Harry's side and whispered the details to him of what happened, "I did not attack him, it was an accident." Harry would never allow them to accuse him of such un-sportsman-like behavior and immediately countered.
McNair tone was sickly sweet as he spoke, "Harry never lies, if he says it was an accident, then it was an accident. It was James' own fault freezing there like a sitting dolt, he'd even forgotten to duck. He wasn't struck dumb by all the excitement was he?" After he finished he and Burbank started laughing heartily.
Sirius was glaring so hard he eyes almost fell out of their sockets, wanting to turn into his grim form and tear these two wankers apart, of course that included the perpetrator Harry Potter, unfortunately he could not break out of the two behemoths' grips so he could only start swearing.
At that time, one of the Gryffindor players approached, huffing and with an enraged expression on his face, there was also a thread of arrogant scorn, "Sirius, James said that he fell because he wasn't paying attention for a second, not because of Harry Potter, he wants us Gryffindors to be calm and levelheaded over this incident." When he said Harry's name, his scornful glance at Harry enraged all the Slytherin players present.
The remaining four Slytherin players all flew towards them, surrounding the two Gryffindor players, all breaking out into angry words, "What's that look for you git? Your own captain fell by himself and you want to blame us?"
The other Gryffindor just sneered, not answering.
Harry thought for a moment then stopped the Slytherins, he turned to Sirius and his companion and said, "It was an accident James falling off his broom, it was not due to anything deliberate on my part. Of course, the incident did occur because of me so I will go visit him in a little while." He flicked a glance at the Slytherins, indicating that they should let go, this was a time for celebration and there was no reason to do anything to lessen the joy of the whole of Slytherin house, "Let's go everyone, our housemates are waiting to celebrate."
At hearing the word "celebrate" smiles finally appeared on the faces of the six Slytherin players, they had been waiting for this celebration for five long years, they weren't going to let a couple of grumpy or mannerless Gryffindors ruin their mood. If the two houses truly came into conflict, it would be the Gryffindors who would suffer. Finally McNair and Burbank let go and followed Harry. Sirius and his housemate stared at Harry's departing figure hatefully, stilled filled with rage.
85.
Passing through the portrait and entering the common room, Harry found the room transformed, green and silver ribbons hanging everywhere, a banner of an arrogantly hissing silver cobra stretching the breadth of the room. All the students were wearing their best robes, all gentlemanly and ladylike, it was both opulent and extravagant. In comparison, Harry preferred Gryffindors' more carefree and casual revelry, Slytherin style was just too sophisticated.
The arrival of the Quidditch team caused an uproar, the students parting to clear a path for them, eager to shake their hands, each and everyone overwhelmed and speechless. Harry could understand what they were feeling, having spent so many years under the yoke of Gryffindor, now they have finally beaten the lions, even though there will not be any actual awards, the victory itself was a wonderful prize.
The other players all went to their dorms to shower and change, but Harry didn't dare. At the end of the corridor, Voldemort stood in his black silk formal robes, smiling as he looked at Harry. No matter which way Harry looked, he stilled felt that those deep crimson eyes were filled with murderous intent. Harry really wanted to turn and run, maybe then he would still have a chance. But Voldemort's terrifying stare pinned him in place, those eyes, they were the same as Nagini's eyes as they stared at a fat little mouse.
Voldemort stretched out a forefinger, pale, long, abnormally suited to playing the piano, and made a come-hither motion in Harry's direction.
Harry swallowed with difficulty, right now he wanted a rock to fly out of nowhere and knock him out, or for him to pass out due to his body being too weak to handle the previous intense exercise, if all else fails, could he just pretend to pass out? A shred of rationality stopped this idea in its tracks, if he really did pass out, things would turn even worse, in his rage, Voldemort would definitely punish him terribly by prohibiting him from playing Quidditch or maybe even ridding a broom. Thinking of this, he ingratiatingly ran up to Voldemort and turned his most innocent, purest and most adorable puppy eyed look on Voldemort an offered and overly passionate greeting, "Voldy, you came, be sure to have lots of fun!"
Voldemort stared at Harry expressionlessly until Harry looked away timidly, his tone was obviously sarcastic as he dragged out his words, "I want to have lots of fun, but someone had to go and upset me, so what should I do?"
Harry immediately scowled, feigning anger, "Who would dare to upset Voldy? They must be tired of living! I'll go and take care of them for you!" He prepared to escape as soon as he finished speaking.
Before he had even taken half a step, Voldemort had already grabbed onto the collar of his robe, his heated breath caressing Harry's ear as he spoke, "But I haven't told you the name of that person, how do you know who you need to "take care" of?"
Harry could feel how close Voldemort was as his musky scent filled his nose, Harry's legs buckled and his back felt boneless, he almost slumped back into Voldemort's embrace. But he swallowed again and viciously pinched his own thigh, setting his jaw, he feigned righteousness, "Of course, someone that stupid, I'd be able to recognize with one glance."
"Oh?" Voldemort's smile was both chilling and worrisome, "But I believe it would be better if I told you that person's name, what do you think?"
"I think, I think…" Harry's was breaking out in a cold sweat over that smile, his eyes darting around frantically, showing his desperate plea for rescue.
Target 1: Nagini. A very sensitive and intelligent snake, Nagini was immediately able to interpret Harry's rescue signal, she quickly lowered her head, opened her jaws, swallowed ten mice at once, then shot towards the other end of the common room like an arrow, settling in to enjoy her snack.
Damnit, she may be bulky but she was certainly quick! Harry muttered hatefully as he searched for another target.
Target 2: Snape, Snape was Harry's best and most steadfast friend, he was also able to immediately recognize Harry's discomfort and anxiety, so he looked left, and he looked right, finally he picked up his goblet and raised it to Harry, then he pretended to drink, he looked very dedicated to his drinking.
Drinking, was he getting befuddled or just pretending! Harry cursed internally, that was some skill, being able to drink out of an empty goblet! Traitorous git! Helpless, he searched for another target.
Target 3: Lucius. Lucius was nice, no shooting away at lightning speed, no pretending to be doing something, he was actually taking to Narcissa, looking at Narcissa, looking at the ceiling, at the floor, at each corner of the common room except in Harry's direction.
Now Harry was angry, well, Lucius, this is how you repay me, don't think I'll tell you anything useful in the future!
"Harry, Harry?"
"What! Can't you see I'm in a bad mood right now!" Harry turned and yelled, but then his gaze collided with Voldemort's, Voldemort who was standing there with his arms crossed, smiling brilliantly, showing two rows of perfect white teeth, glittering radiantly.
They reminded Harry of a shark, a great white shark.
"I'm so sorry to disturb you. But you've given me a bad mood too, so what are we to do now?"
86. Begin lemon
Voldemort locked his arms around Harry's waist and dragged him back to his own quarters. He threw Harry heavily onto the bed and the soft mattress gently wrapped around Harry's body, then slowly flattened to lift him back up. The older wizard stood at the end of the bed with a cold smile, that smile giving Harry the chills.
"So tell me, what kind of punishment do you think you deserve? I'll count to three, if you don't come up with a satisfactory punishment by then, I will punish you as I see fit- believe me, you will not like my methods."
What? Harry was stunned still. A punishment that Voldemort would find "satisfactory", anything that left Voldemort satisfied was likely to leave Harry anything but.
"One." Voldemort started counting without giving Harry anymore time to think.
"Voldy!" Harry was suddenly struck by inspiration and jumped off the bed, going over to Voldemort and standing docilely in front of him, innocently blinking his big, emerald eyes, looking very much like Bambi. "I know I was wrong, I do, and I swear I will never do it again!" He resolutely lifted his right hand, "I will definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY, never do anything dangerous again!" Fluttering his eye lashes like the wings of a butterfly, he peeked up at Voldemort's expression through his lashes, "Don't be angry, please, Voldy?" He leaned softly into Voldemort's chest.
For a moment, Voldemort forgot to breathe and his arms lifted of their own accord to wrap around Harry, then he put them down again and quickly said, "Harry, do you know something?"
"What is it Voldy?" Harry lifted his head as he asked, his face filled with hope.
"After you have gone against your word so many times, your assurances have lost any meaning to me, I will not easily believe them again." Voldemort was solemn as he answered.
"Oh." Harry's face fell.
"Two."
"Voldy!" Harry stretched out his arms and wrapped them tightly around Voldemort's neck, his beautiful eyes filled with warmth and affection, "Voldy, I'm a Slytherin, I wanted our house to win, you do too right? I still remember the smug and contemptuous expression on James Potter's face as he kissed the Quidditch Cup in June, it was so infuriating! I swore then that I would beat James Potter and take the Gryffindors down a few notches, so, when I saw today that James Potter might get the snitch first, there was nothing else I could do! If I hadn't done what I did, it wouldn't be the Slytherins celebrating today and we will have lost to the Gryffindors for six straight years. Voldy, I couldn't let something like that happen! Slytherins are better than Gryffindors, the only reason we keep losing is because we lack that drive to take risks at the key moments, I was only trying to correct the only mistake that I found in our team and be an example to our other players. And," He smiled sweetly, his cheeks flushed and rosy, his face both shy and seductively demure, "You were there, that was why I was able to release the broom and take the jump. You would never let me be in danger right?" There was really no need to ask this, in today's dangerous situation, if it wasn't for Voldemort he would have joined James Potter in the infirmary.
The last obviously rhetorical question was quite effective on Voldemort, who had to work to keep his expression stern. It took him a moment, but then he cleared his throat and finally restrained the urge to puff up in pride. He can't fall for this, he can't fall for his devious little minx's plan to make him so smug that he forgets to reprimand him.
"I must admit Harry, your words are very convincing."
Harry broke into a smile.
"But that does not change how I feel, you can't understand what I was feeling when I saw you jumping off that broom in mid-air- I couldn't bear it if I lost you, I would rather that I died in your stead. So I must punish you, that is the only way to curb your recklessness, at least to a certain extent."
Hearing this, Harry glared at Voldemort in anger, almost wanting to take a bite out of him to vent his rage, "You… you…"
"Three." Voldemort ruthlessly spat out the last number.
"Fine, whatever you want!" Harry put down his arms, pushed Voldemort away, then drew his wand and pointed it as himself, "I'll punish myself! Diffin-" The wand was ripped out of his hand and tossed into the corner before he had finished the cutting curse. Harry lifted his chin and stared arrogantly at the man, "What? Didn't you want me to punish myself? I already decided on the punishment, why did you take my wand?"
Voldemort could only grind his teeth, this little rascal, was Harry trying to kill him with rage? His shoulders dropping in defeat he surrendered, but feeling cheated he took Harry in his arms and covered those smug, red lips with his own
87.
Totally unprepared, Harry stilled for a moment, by the time he thought to react, Voldemort's tongue had reached into this mouth. He and Voldemort had kissed many times and Harry was most affected by Voldmort's deep kisses which felt truly wonderful, as though he was floating up into the sky, but he always forgot to breathe when he was kissed like that and he always ended up feeling like he was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen. It was strange that he had never felt like this when he used to kiss Ginny. Was it because he wasn't the one doing the kissing when he was with Voldemort? "Oh…ah…" Harry squirmed as he let out tiny, sensuous moans, his eyes growing misted and luminous, like moonlight shining through lace curtains. Please, he couldn't remember how to breathe anymore! Almost as if he had heard Harry's plea, Voldemort release his lips, smirking at Harry like the cat that ate the cream. Harry glared back huffily, but was too busy catching his breath to express his dissatisfaction. Before he had fully recovered his breathing, Voldemort had pressed him back into the bed, vanishing his clothes in an instant, without the barrier of clothing between them, Harry could feel every inch of the fiery erection between Voldemort's legs.
"No… oh…" He wanted to protest, but Voldemort took his earlobe into his mouth and the rush of tingling pleasure took all the strength out of Harry's body and sultry moans, filled with sensual arousal, emerged from his mouth instead, these sounds were more like demands for more than a rejection.
"Baby, you sound so good." Voldemort mumbled incoherently as he licked and sucked repeatedly at the pale, delicate earlobe, every movement causing Harry's body to shudder, his moans almost turning into sobs.
"Vol..dy…" Harry cried out brokenly, long, slim and pale legs lifting to wrap around Voldemort's strong waist, rubbing against him helplessly. "Don't… don't stop there, don't…" He wanted Voldemort to keep touching him, lower, a little bit lower.
Voldemort obediently moved lower as he kissed Harry's smooth white throat, then the tempting dip in his shoulder, every touch pushing Harry's excitement higher until he began to scream with pleasure. Voldemort was very pleased, his little Harry was unexpectedly sensitive and his reactions were very soothing to his ego. When Voldemort's lips covered one of the red nubs on that smooth, pale chest, Harry finally broke into sobbing breaths, glistening tears flowing out of his eyes from the overwhelming pleasure and dripping onto the pristine, white sheets. Slender fingers clenched around fistfuls of sheets to try and restrain himself from letting out any more embarrassing moans, but the nibbling of the man's teeth on that sensitive nub as his fingers rolled and pinch its twin broke all of Harry's restraint and he sobbed as he cried out Voldemort's name, his cries sweet as candy and delicate as a kitten's, revealing his heart's deepest desires and urging the man further and further in his touches.
Encouraged, Voldemort moved ever lower, pass the trim waist, the smooth, succulent legs, the well-formed, cute little toes, leaving marks of his passion on every centimeter, every inch. Harry cried harder as he twisted and writhed like a seductive white serpent. He couldn't speak to utter his pleas and Voldemort wickedly pretended not to understand what he wanted until Harry was ready to burst into flames. To try and relieve the overwhelming pressure in his body, Harry bit his lips and reached for his own aching erection but his hand was caught in Voldemort's before he reached his target, "Oh no baby, that honor is mine."
Harry screamed in frustration, "But you don't want to do it!" Why couldn't he do it himself?
"Oh?" Voldemort feigned shock as he raised his brow, "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that my Harry hasn't said that he wants it, and so I don't dare…" Harry's eyes were red, his cheeks were flushed, and his ivory pale skin was also flushed with a rosy glow. He almost wanted to hit this wanker in front of him, hard, to vent his anger at the man's wicked teasing, but his body has been turned into mush by the man's passionate caresses, even his glare at the man was unconsciously seductive and enticing. Knowing that he would not be able to win this word game against his tormenting seducer, Harry turned his head and shyly averted his gaze, in a low, sensuous voice he begged, "Voldy, give me… let me… please let me… come." Please, don't tease him anymore! Triumphant, Voldemort gave in to Harry's pleas and took Harry's rigid, leaking cock into his mouth, Harry gasped and the strength left his body, leaving him to slump back into the bed as Voldemort's skilled tongue worked every inch of Harry's cock. His mind flashed white with indescribable ecstasy and everything became a blank as he floated in a sea of clouds, only able to feel the man's agile tongue as it slid over his sensitive cock, sending him to paradise.
88.
After his climax, Harry slumped bonelessly onto the bed as he panted, black hair soaked with sweat, eyes still lined with sensuality and receding passion. Voldemort pulled his legs apart and pushed his forefinger between the pert globes of Harry's ass, reaching for the tiny opening to prepare him for what was to come. Harry wanted to stop him as he had still not completely accepted this relationship with Voldemort, and there were still too many unresolved issues between them, plus he wasn't yet prepared for such in elevation in the physical intimacy between them. But his body was completely boneless, he had not experienced passion in such as long time that Voldemort's teasing sensuality had sapped all his strength and he was helpless to resist. Perhaps it would be better to let things progress as they will, somehow everything will be resolved, Harry lifted his sharp little chin and his back arched into an elegant bow. And then, he looked into a pair of huge amber eyes. Hedwig was standing beside Harry's head, cocking her head as she looked at her master, not understanding why the man that always gave her tasty treats had twined his body around her master.
Annoyed and embarrassed, Harry kicked at Voldemort's shoulder, his voice tremulous, "Let go, someone sent me a letter." After he spoke he pulled the sheets over to cover his body with unsteady hands. Voldemort sighed internally, another missed opportunity! Not able to consummate their relationship riding on Harry's current guilt and momentary weakness, it might be a long time until Voldemort would have another chance like this. Damned owl! Voldemort longed to pluck the infernal bird then cook her, in turn he cursed his own slow actions, if only he hadn't taken so much time to savor Harry's body. Next time he would make sure the window was closed and the foreplay was not so extended! "Shall we have a bath? You still haven't bathed after the match." Although Voldemort actually found the faint aroma of sweat enticing.
At Harry's tacit approval, Voldemort took Harry into his arms and carried him into the bathroom. All this spread out in front of him, but no further opportunity to partake of the feast, this experience only increased Voldemort overall frustration. "Whose letter is it? And what does that person want?" Harry's expression as he read the letter was myriad, glad and anticipatory, but also a little forlorn, seeing all this Voldemort was feeling a little jealous as he asked his question.
Harry dressed with his back to Voldemort as Voldemort refused to leave the room, he also huffily refused to reply. After putting on his clothes and dealing with the passion marks all over his body, Harry got on his Firebolt and glared at Voldemort, "I'm going to met with the woman of my dreams!"
Even knowing that Harry was speaking in jest, Voldemort couldn't help grabbing the parchment to read it carefully. The letter was from Lily Evans, hoping to meet with Harry to speak about James Potter. A girl and a boy meeting to discuss another boy? Voldemort believes that he needs to have a talk with Harry.
When Harry went to the astronomy tower at the appointed time, Lily was already there waiting for him, her deep red hair moving gently in the light breeze and her green eyes filled with the warmth of summer. Harry thought that his mother was the most beautiful girl in the world.
"I'm sorry to disturb you during your celebrations." Lily apologized.
Gryffindor celebrations usually lasted all night and she thought that the Slytherin celebrations would be at least as long given that it was a victory they had been waiting more than five years for. It was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon and the celebrations should be just getting festive and high-spirited.
Harry was actually quite thankful for Lily's letter, if it wasn't for the letter, he might still be in bed with Voldemort, tangled together in a passionate embrace, he was still not sure where his relationship with Voldemort was going but an intimate relationship at this time would only confuse his thoughts and disrupt his life. "No, your invitation came at a good time actually."
Lily lifted her head in query but Harry would not elaborate, quickly turning the topic back to her invitation, "You wanted to ask me something about James? Um, I didn't mean to knock him off his broom, I was still in shock myself at the time and I was only concentrating on showing the snitch to the referee to confirm that Slytherin had won, I didn't even see him so…" He scratched his head in annoyance, that sounded like an excuse. Did Voldemort do something to deliberately… he cut off that off and quickly added, "James and I have been getting along quite alright this last month, I wouldn't call us friends but things aren't as tense between us as they were anymore, the match had ended, I would never do something so underhanded to him like that." He peeked worriedly at Lily after he'd finished speaking, not wanting his mother to see his as a git who would attack someone even after the match had ended.
Lily nodded her head in agreement, "I know you didn't mean it. You are a kind and decent person, I do not believe you would do something as despicable as attacking your opponent after a match had ended."
89.
Thoroughly mystified as to the reason Lily had asked to speak with him if it wasn't about that, Harry asked, "Then why did you…"
Lily lowered her head as she started wringing her hands, showing the deep conflict within her mind. Asking Harry to meet with her was done at the spur of the moment and now she was finding it hard to put her thoughts into words. Not that she was worried about Harry saying something derogatory, but she was just wondering whether Harry's promise made that time in the library was still in force. She had always held a certain affection for Harry but did Harry still feel the same for her? After all, he was no longer that nameless and even despised, disgrace of Slytherin on the Hogwarts Express, in this past year he had well and truly become the Prince of Slytherin and was surrounded by so many pretty and suitable girls, willing to be his friend or lover, would he still be willing to help out a girl from Gryffindor?
Lily's hesitation was easily recognizable to Harry and he found that there was an invisible barrier between the two of them, it was the last thing he wanted but it was inevitable given the facts and circumstances. In his heart he was still steadfast in his unspoken vows to his mother, he would protect her with his life. "Lily, look at me." To dispel Lily's doubts, he addressed her with a familiarity he had never used before, Lily froze in surprise then slowly raised her head, her beautiful eyes looking steadily into his own, "Do you remember the words I spoke to you last November, "if there is anything I can do for you in the future, please tell me, I will do my best to help you if I can."- I stand by my words, now and in the future."
Lily's doubts and fears faded away at these words, yes, no matter what Harry had done, or what he now possesses, he was still that halfblood wizard who chatted with her about everything under the sun and his caring for her remains unchanged. She was finally able to gather her courage to speak with Harry, she doesn't know why but she just feels that this boy is the only person that she could ask for advice from in this matter. "I heard that James Potter has told our housemates that his fall from his broom was due to his own carelessness and not due to your actions, were you aware of this? And is this true?"
Harry easily admitted the truth, "I am aware of this and it is true."
"So it is true…?" Lily was deeply confused as she muttered, "How could this be, he has always been so arrogant… has he truly changed? Is this just an act?"
Harry hesitated for a moment before he spoke, "I don't know if he has really changed, but at least in this past month, he and I have gotten along well enough." He turned his head guiltily, not daring to look into Lily's eyes. After all, he hadn't needed legilimency to tell him that in James' mind, all his behavior had been planned with a specific, ulterior motive, this was not something he wanted to tell Lily as if he had been in James' position, he probably would have done the same. This was war and war is always filled with deception and intrigue, even he himself had made use of James' plans for his own purposes, if not actively and enthusiastically, then at least diligently. No matter if one was a Gryffindor or a Slytherin, everyone fights for their own beliefs, of course, Harry does not consider his actions righteous but rather necessary in light of the facts of the situation, and one could not ever say that it was wrong to fight for what you believe. Granted, apart from all this, he also had other, personal, motivations for his words to Lily. Harry still can't figure out how that hateful person he had seen in the pensieve, his father, had won the heart of his mother in seventh year, his mother who was almost Lady Justice personified, she obviously detested him so Harry had wondered whether his father had utilized some high pressure tactics at the time to get his way. After coming to this time, not only had Harry not changed his mind in this matter, in fact, he grew more pessimistic over the whole thing, five years of going to the same school as James Potter had shown him how truly despicable James was and he had a hard time imagining Lily falling for him. The only consolation Harry had was that James was truly in love with Lily. He wanted to help James because the man was, after all, his father and he didn't want his own birth to be erased, but his relationship with Lily had never really gotten close enough to do anything about this, Lily seeking him out today gave him an opportunity to put in some good words for James.
"In truth, James is not a bad person, he's kind and smart, a bit prejudiced and arrogant, but really, most of the pureblood wizards in the magical world are like that. Lucius is much worse than James."
"But Malfoy is a Slytherin." Lily blurted out.
"And James Potter is a pureblood Gryffindor." Harry cocked his head, "After the summer holidays, James has changed a lot, I can feel it."
-0-
After Harry returned to his room, Voldemort immediately took him into his arms, "Baby, we have to talk."
Harry rolled his eyes, "That is nothing remotely like what you're thinking between Lily and I, so there is no need for that talk."
"Then why did she seek you out?" Voldemort asked doubtfully.
"To talk about James Potter."
Voldemort was even more dubious as he gave Harry several more suspicious looks, "Don't get too close to those Gryffindors, no matter if it is Lily Evans or James Potter."
"I know, I won't."
90.
Madam Pomfrey smiled at Lily as she walked into the infirmary, "Miss Evans, here to visit Mr. James Potter?"
Lily smiled in reply, "Yes Madam Pomfrey. May I go see him now?"
After a moment of thought, Madam Pomfrey said, "Actually, his injuries are not too serious and he should be fine after a few days, you may visit him if you wish. However," She paused, "He's asleep, do you still want to see him?"
Thinking that she had nothing else pending today, Lily nodded, "I can sit with him until he wakes."
Watching as Lily approached the door to James' room, Madam Pomfrey hesitantly called after Lily, "Miss Evans…" She huffed in annoyance at not knowing how to put her thoughts into words, then tried to explain anyway, "Even though I did not go to see the match and I am unaware of how Mr. James Potter received his injuries, I do have some understanding of Mr. Harry Potter. He is a kind and honest child and would never maliciously attack anyone." Because of today's match, she had had to separate all her Gryffindor and Slytherin patients, and James Potter had asked for a private room. Luckily she had plenty of space available.
Lily was gratified by Madam Pomfrey's high opinion of Harry, "I believe in Mr. Harry Potter and I was at the match, Madam Pomfrey. I understand that Mr. Harry Potter did not knock Mr. James Potter off his broom on purpose, someone who was willing to rescue ten thousand wizards without any reward would never be so narrow-minded and nasty as to deliberately injure an opponent."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Madam Pomfrey's frown smoothed away, comforted at the thought that this young lady had not attributed the blame to Harry Potter, this was probably the reason why she and Mr. Potter were so close. "It's just that, as you may be aware, in the few hours since Mr. James Potter has been admitted to the infirmary, every Gryffinfor student who has visited him has been outraged and cursing Mr. Harry Potter, I am greatly disturbed by this. It is fortunate that you are so rational Miss Evans. I'd like to ask you to talk to Mr. James Potter about this, I'm sure he would be happy to hear your words, he is such an intelligent child and I'm sure he'll come to understand."
After giving Madam Pomfrey a positive reply, Lily pushed open the door to James' room and walked to his bedside. James was deeply asleep, his handsome face childlike and peaceful in repose.
Lily put the candy she had brought as a get well present in the bedside cabinet which was already covered in other assorted sweets and get well cards, piled into a small mountain. She silently transfigured an armchair then sat down to wait silently. As a sixth year they were already learning silent casting, it's just that war is still such a distant concept to the students that they are naively unaware of what an advantage this skill could be, they only try to lower their voices when they cast, feeling overjoyed that they could so easily cheat in their lessons, not willing to invest any effort into really mastering true, silent casting. It was only Lily and several other students with more insight into the future who were willing to put in the effort to truly learn silent casting, but they were hampered by their less than ideal foundation in magic and spellcasting.
As she was waiting, many thought rose involuntarily in Lily's mind. During this term, James Potter had changed greatly from before, he was still passionately in love with Lily, but the way he expressed his love had fundamentally changed. Each morning he owled her a lily in bloom, so fresh that there were still drops of dew on the petals of the beautiful flower, he also included a card filled with tender, loving quotes and poetry. She didn't know where he found these words, but they were definitely from muggle literature, she recognized one of Shakespeare's sonnets. He no longer aggravated her by trying to appear in every place she would be at, instead he patiently and judiciously chose different times to be at her side, to cheer her up with clever and humorous words and brings smiles to her face. His change was especially apparent during the DADA remedial sessions, he would patiently and thoroughly teach her personally, greatly assisting in improving her skills while also making her aware of how strong he was in his magic. Other very important things to Lily were that he was no longer entertaining himself and showing his power by humiliating other students and that he was no longer singling Slytherin's out for abuse, not only was his relationship with Harry getting better and better, he was also defending Harry to his Gryffindor housemates and commending Harry for his magical strength. He still thought Gryffindors were the best of the best, but he also recognized that the cunning and ability to act after careful planning and strategizing of Slytherin students could supplement the hotheaded act-first-think-later mentality of Gryffindor students, accordingly he had repeatedly advised his housemates to learn from Slytherins. In only one month's time, her impression of James had changed drastically.
91.
Lily felt that James had become more mature and was turning into her ideal kind of boy, as well as becoming more likeable.
That's right, "more" likeable.
Before Harry's transformation, Sirius and James had been the primary targets of girls' crushes. Sirius' good looks, elegance, class and natural flair had made him a very fitting "Prince of Gryffindor"; James, though not as handsome as Sirius, still had classical good looks and a distinguished air, also he was very tall and dashing, any place he was at seemed especially bright and sunny. He was also very gifted academically and his skills at Quidditch were unparalleled. Unquestionably, he was a very likeable person and before she had been proclaimed James Potter's goddess, Lily had also thought the same way, at that time she, like many of the other girls in love with James, had dreamed that one day, he would come up to her and tell her he loved her. She never thought that once James had come to love her, his many despicable actions would destroy her positive image of him. Every time he saw her, he would rake his hands repeatedly through his hair, messing up his already messy bird's nest. He would always try to express his love for her, no matter the time or place, and most of the time, such expressions only served to annoy her. The thing that Lily detested the most, was his unthinking arrogance and meanness, he always liked to demonstrate his feelings and his "strength" by tormenting the Slytherins and Snape. She didn't know when or where Snape had offended him but their encounters always turned into fights and confrontations, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter would always attack Snape and Harry. And whenever she appeared in front of those six, the situation would become worse. Each time it was James who initiated the conflict, perhaps he thought that such encounters would demonstrate his superior strength, and truthfully, his endless repertoire of painful and humiliating spells were mostly effective in tormenting Snape, but Lily found nothing commendable in this. She does not like to see people bullying others, and James often actively attacked others, knowing that Dumbledore favored him and would let him get away with it, plus it was usually four against two! His only reason for his actions was that it was Slytherins and he disliked them!
Lily had increasingly felt that being loved by such a person was a sort of insult and the fact that she was still attracted to James became more and more intolerable to her, whenever James was not trying to please her, he was unbearable, that was an indisputable fact.
So in the last few years, she had been in a quandary, she liked James, but hated his bullying and childish nature. She had prayed more than once that James would grow up and change his less attractive ways, that way he would make a wonderful boyfriend. But her prayers had not been answered and James acted as he always has. In truth, she had almost given up when Harry appeared. Harry was the image of her ideal Prince Charming, handsome, elegant, forward-thinking, strong, humble, kind and selfless, even during fifth year, on the Hogwarts Express, when Harry was still wearing those ugly glasses and secondhand robes and looking gauche, he was kind and understanding like James had never or could never be. Even though she had only wanted to be his friend, his very existence highlighted James' faults. She wanted so badly to give up on James, her ideal boyfriend did not need to be as wonderful as Harry, but he at least should not be as unbearablly mean as James.
What completely surprised her was that James Potter became a different person in sixth year, his bad habits completely gone as though they had never existed. Now apart from the fact that he was not as strong as Harry, he was almost perfect, just like the Prince Charming of Lily's imagination. Lily could not understand this and it alarmed her. She didn't know if the change in James was real or not, what if he was only acting to get her approval and affection? What if he was planning something detrimental to Harry? She could not imagine what would happen if she accepted James' love and gave him her own precious heart and feelings, only to find that this was all an act on James' part, what would she do then? So she kept cautioning herself, not to trust, not to believe, after all, someone's nature could not change so easily, so suddenly could it? But how could she control her love for James? One month was not enough for her to completely trust James, but it was enough for her to come to love him. When she had seen James get hurt today, she didn't want to doubt him anymore and she had begun to trust him, meeting with Harry and getting his opinion had only been the final confirmation. She knew that Harry would never hurt her and would tell her the truth. Harry's words firmed her resolve and so she came, to her beloved's side.