Author's Note: Pardon my stalling in writing this chapter for A Magical Garden. I had a sudden inspiration to fix up my old unfinished fic for Fruits Basket, so I took care of that. It would not let me focus on Lily and James! Well, before I continue with anything new for that one, I wanted to get back into the Harry Potter realm for a bit. I have not forgotten you, I promise! Oh, and my Pottermore eOwl is still MIA. WTH? *sigh* At any rate, the world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the rest is from me.
I apologize again for how long this took to post…as it turns out, I have a really hard time writing Quidditch commentaries. Go figure.
Chapter 11: Look Who's Finally Caught Up
When the sun rose on the morning of the Slytherin/Gryffindor Quidditch match, Lily wanted to just stay in the comfort of her warm bed. She wanted nothing more than to curl up under the covers, put a temporary Sealing Charm on the bed curtains, and sleep the day away.
However, had she even tried to accomplish such a goal, Marlene would have forcibly dragged her to the pitch herself. And, knowing Marles, she probably would have tied Lily to her broom for the entire match to be sure not a second was missed.
Reluctantly, Lily climbed out of bed and brushed her hair and teeth, threw on an ivory sweater and flared blue jeans, grabbed her boots, cloak, and Gryffindor scarf and made her way to the Common Room. She was not there long before Emma joined her, and together, they left for breakfast. They did not need to wait for Marlene and Dorcas, for they had already left with the rest of the team nearly an hour prior. James always made sure the team left early to ensure they had adequate time to eat, as they were often interrupted by well-wishers.
The Great Hall was teeming with near-electric energy. Emerald and scarlet could be seen everywhere, although Lily noted that it was the latter that more students were adorned with. This lowered her stress levels a bit (stress she did not realize she felt until that very moment), since she was not in the mood to deal with any sort of bitter feelings stemming from the inevitable absence of Slytherin's star players from the match. With this many Gryffindor supporters, there was no way negativity was going to break through to reach her. Lily mentally cheered her good fortune.
The two girls joined the remaining three Marauders, who were seated near the team. While Lily was pouring syrup on her French toast (her favorite breakfast item), she heard the notable fluttering signifying the arrival of the mail. Looking up, she smiled at the familiar sight of her miniscule owl carrying a tiny package. She took a sip of pumpkin juice to hide a giggle as Teeney reached her target: James. James had never had to deal with Teeney first hand, and Lily did not wish to enlighten him on the little owl's quirkier habits. It would spoil the fun.
Teeney landed in front of him on the table, the string that tied the parcel together held firmly in her beak, and hooted at him expectantly. That marked the beginning of her "I brought your mail" routine. First came the "I have arrived!" hoot, then, once you retrieved your mail, she (There it is, thought Lily) nipped you on the finger lightly (much to James's surprise). Teeney started her little victory dance, as usual, which consisted of hopping about the table, narrowly missing silverware and food, while hooting proudly. Lily, as well as much of the team, laughed at Teeney's antics. Everything was going as Lily hoped. Teeney would deliver the package to James, and she would be, well, Teeney-like and cut the tension the team was sure to be feeling, easy win or not. Lily held her breath, knowing what was coming next and hoping desperately not to give it away (she could see Marlene doing the same, as Marlene was already well acquainted with the bizarre bird). As James was opening the parcel, Teeney hopped onto the bench beside him (blessedly unnoticed by James, to Lily's glee) and started to burrow into his Quidditch robes.
He almost fell off his seat, and everyone was laughing. Sirius was laughing so hard, he did fall to the floor.
"What is wrong with this owl?" said James as he twisted in his seat in an attempt to monitor Teeney's progress. Muffled hoots could be heard from his robes as Teeney made herself at home.
Lily leaned forward to be seen around some of the other team members. "James, meet Teeney, my burrowing owl." Everyone laughed harder at the look of exasperation on James's face. Lily took pity on him. "Oh, all right, I'll get her." She got to her feet and came to his side. She kneeled beside him and lifted the edge of his robes, calling for Teeney, ducking her head to utilize her hair as a shield against the blush that crept into her cheeks. The owl went far! "Eep, sorry, she seems to like you. By the way, that pendant has been my good luck charm for years. I wear it to every exam and whenever I feel I need moral support. It was my grandfather's. I thought you might like it for the match."
James kissed the top of her head. "Thank you." He stiffened jerkily in his seat and Lily froze. "Lils, your stupid owl is behind me. Can you please remove it before it's the one that needs the luck?" Amusement was evident his voice, despite his attempt at appearing stern.
"All right, don't move and…" she reached into his robes. Several Ravenclaw girls behind them were watching and giggling. Lily's blush grew darker when her hand brushed his back. Suddenly, her fingers closed around the twitchy baseball with feathers. "…Gotcha!"
She pulled Teeney out of James's robes, and the owl was hooting as though it was a game of hide and seek. The Ravenclaw girls "awwed" at her. Teeney hooted her appreciation to them, she loved attention. The little bird kicked her feet like a child on a swing and Lily began to wonder about Teeney's mental state. Her owl had be as barmy as her friends said.
"Your owl is a bloody menace, Lils," Dorcas announced from farther down the table, tears rolling down her face as she laughed. "But that was as funny as hell!"
Teeney danced around the table, burrowing into napkins, while they finished breakfast, the tension in the air completely dissolved.
Crisp November winds cut through their robes as they made their way to the Quidditch pitch, but aside from the cold, the weather was perfect for a match. The sky was overcast, so the sun was not too bright, and there was no possibility for rain. Lily, who was the best at Charms, made some bluebell flames to put in some jars for them to stay warm in the stands.
At the moment, Sirius was using his wand to make the bright blue flames float around them for sport while the girls ducked to keep them from accidentally singeing their hair (the flames may not burn whatever surface they were on, but they still produced heat!). As they reached their destination, Lily scooped the flames up and put them in jars, which she sealed against Sirius's fidgeting, and divvied them up, so there was one jar between each of them. They made their way to their seats just as the voice of the Hufflepuff announcer, a sixth year Ravenclaw named Edward Davies, rang out over the pitch.
"Welcome to the opening Quidditch Match between Gryffindor and Slytherin!" Cheers erupted throughout the crowds of students. Lily had never been one for Muggle sports, but Quidditch was more exciting. There was so much more to focus on. While Muggle sports usually had one ball to watch, Quidditch had three (four if you count both Bludgers), and she loved to watch the players fly. Lily usually did passably well in anything she put her mind to at Hogwarts, even Transfiguration (not her best subject, but she still got an E on her O.W.L.), but flying was the one thing she never had a knack for. Lily liked to blame her Muggle childhood for the constant desire to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground, but the truth was she was just not designed to be on a broomstick. While on the ground, she was usually graceful and coordinated (although inclined to fits of clumsiness), she even took ballet classes for a large portion of her pre-Hogwarts life, but put a broomstick in her hand, and Lily could barely discern up from down.
Lily watched in awe as the fourteen players flew effortlessly into her field of vision, a collection of green and scarlet. In the background, Davies was announcing the Slytherin Team to a continuously cheering crowd. When McBride and Jacoby were announced as replacements for Avery (Beater) and Black (Seeker), there was laughter amongst the Gryffindors. Lily felt a quick pang of guilt for Slytherin's loss, but it was quick.
The Slytherins sneered and hissed when James's name was announced as Captain of the Gryffindor Team.
Oh, yes. Very quick. More of a twinge than a pang, really.
"And the Quaffle is in play. Longbottom catches it. Whoa, he barely missed that Bludger, hit by Slytherin Beater, McBride. As we all know, McBride is in as a replacement for Avery, who was banned from this particular match for disorderly conduct on a Gryffindor-"
"Mr. Davies, are you here to give commentary on the match or to give a news report?" asked a mildly annoyed Professor McGonagall.
"Sorry, Professor, just telling it how it is."
"Tell everyone how the match is, Davies."
"Yes, Professor. Potter retrieves the Quaffle and is making a bee line for the goal, his flying even better than normal, if that was possible. Ah, the quaffle is intercepted by Slytherin Chaser Fletcher. Fletcher throws it to Robinson. Robinson gives it a go…and that is ten points to Slytherin." The Slytherin side exploded in cheers, while Lily and the rest of the Gryffindors moaned in protest. At some point, Sirius had produced a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and was passing them between the five of them. Peter was choking on a less-savory variety, and his coughing distracted Lily from the match. When she finally looked up, she was able to spot James making a rather spectacular throw, gaining ten points for Gryffindor. Lily jumped up and cheered with her classmates. She could not be sure from this distance, but she had a feeling the jaunty salute James offered was for her. He patted his chest where her pendant was resting under his robes, and Lily's suspicions were confirmed, a smile brightening her features.
For a little while, the match continued in the same manner, each side scoring alternately to maintain a frustratingly tied game, and Lily could see Emma watching Marlene carefully. The blond girl was circling the pitch high in the air, so high that all they could see of her were her red robes and the sun glistening off her blond ponytail. Lily's eyes frantically searched high and low for the elusive Golden Snitch. Where was it?
Sirius seemed to read Lily's thoughts when he shouted out, "Where is that bloody Snitch? Is it on holiday or something? This whole neck-and-neck bollocks is getting boring."
Emma shot a glare at the side of his head for his language. If Sirius noticed, he made no indication.
"…Gryffindor Chaser Johnson throws the Quaffle to Johnson. He throws…and another ten points for Gryffindor!" announced Davies. "The score is now seventy to sixty, in favor of Gryffindor."
Lily absently dug through the box of Every Flavour Beans in search of a peppermint, glancing down occasionally to check for the familiar white-and-red speckled confection. When she wasn't checking the beans, her eyes were locked on James. Why had she ever truly noticed how well he performed on a broomstick? Sure, she was aware of his talent, she wasn't blind, and he had boasted about it enough over the years, but she had never really seen. James looked like a bird gliding through the air. He was supporting the broom, not the other way around. He did not even look as though he was trying. She watched admirably as James earned another ten points for Gryffindor, giving them a twenty point lead over Slytherin. The cheers around her seemed far away as she watched James make a quick lap around the pitch. Without thinking, Lily tossed an Every Flavour Bean into her mouth, coughing herself back into reality on the black pepper candy. Giving up her quest for peppermint, she passed the box down to Peter again with a disgusted look on her face.
Suddenly, four of their number were pelted by airborne candy when Peter jumped to his feet to point at the sky, because Jacoby was diving, Marlene not too far behind. Sirius followed Peter's example and leapt to his feet, causing more beans to fall onto Remus, Lily, and Emma. "Honestly," mumbled Lily, brushing beans off her shoulder.
"Slytherin reserve Seeker, Jacoby, has seen the Snitch! Marlene McKinnon is close behind him, and building speed," came Davies's commentary over the roaring crowd. Lily and Emma (and even Remus) came to their feet to give their support to Marlene.
"Fly, Marles, fly!"
"Beat that bugger!"
"Come on Marlene, you are better than that tosser!"
"Destroy him!"
"Really, Sirius?"
During the unfolding drama of the Seekers, O'Dell from Slytherin managed to get a shot past Stebbens, the Gryffindor Keeper, to bring the score that much closer. Lily thought about how everyone thought this match was a given for Gryffindor and almost laughed aloud. Now, it was down to whomever grabbed the Snitch. Marlene and Jacoby were neck and neck, shooting around the pitch.
Davies's voice could be heard over the action. "Gryffindor Beater Meadowes aims a Bludger at Jacoby. He dodges it. The reserve Seeker may not have the grace of Regulus Black, but his tactics are just as effective." Sirius shouted something offensive about his brother at Davies and an offended Emma threw discarded Every Flavour Beans at Sirius (who managed to catch no less than three in his mouth, bringing a reluctant laugh from Emma).
Lily was laughing at Sirius when the Gryffindor side nearly exploded in shouts and cheers. Her gaze shot back to Marlene, who was buried within the rest of the team, only her hand grasping the fluttering Snitch visible beneath the group. Lily could see James break away from his teammates and fly towards her, beaming. He stopped his broom parallel to the stands where their group were sitting along the front row, directly in front of Lily.
Reaching towards her, he grasped her scarlet and gold scarf and gently pulled her to him. Lily's hands gripped the edge of the stands for support as she stretched over the edge, oblivious to the height that would have normally made her incredibly nervous. She knew that she would not fall, but she also knew that James would catch her if she did.
"My little lucky charm," he whispered as he lowered his head.
When their lips met, the cheers around them amplified, and, for once, Lily couldn't care less about who was watching or what they were thinking.
At that moment, Lily was fully convinced that she was officially dating James Potter.