Hiya, People!
This is it! Chapter ELEVEN! I can't believe what we're up to here!
I gotta say: This fic will only go through the end of fourth year. I don't know how many more chapter we;re looking at here, but not that many. I'm also going to change the title, at some point, although I don't know when. Just a heads up, by the way.
Also: I have 39 reviews at this very moment. A huge, chocolate cupcake gets virtually delivered to all of my amazing reveiwers, Prongsies, Daughteroflove7491, cc4c, and everyone who I haven't named. You guys are the best. Love you all. Listen- I want to make it to 50 reviews- can we get there? Together? Eleven reviews, on chapter eleven and previous? I know that there are people that read and don't review, and I get that most people won't, but some of you awesome people: Please, pretty please review.
After that healthy round of giult-tripping my readers, I have to add that despite wishing that I was, I'm not JKR and I own nothing here.
"I absolutely adore not having to get up at a bloody ungodly hour to get to class, I must say," Sirius was stretched out in his bed, his eyes closed, hair sticking out in every direction, looking for all the world like it was early morning, and he was just waking up. He was just waking up, after all. But it was-
"Ten-thirty in the morning, Padfoot! That's what time it is! And you know what time the train leaves for King's Cross? Eleven-Fifteen!" Remus, who was deciding what books to bring home with him over break, tossed a large, unread copy of Hogwarts: A History onto Sirius's bed. "That's yours, by the way. It was in my trunk."
'"Oh gosh! I'm not packed! I'm not going to make it! I'll need to stay here with-with that awful Filch!" Peter, who had been awake for a good three hours already, began to hyperventilate, frantically dashing around the room, although for what, no one was sure.
"Worm-Tail, it'll be fine," Said James, who was also still in bed, albeit using his wand to cause his things to fly into his trunk.
"You also need to get going, Prongs!" Remus ran his fingers through his hair exasperatedly. "And Peter, it'll be fine- I know a spell, here-" He waved his wand in a long, sweeping gesture, and clearly enunciated " Locomotris Peter Pettigrew". All over the room, Peter's things rose into the air, and soared across the room into Peter's open trunk, settling down in neat piles. "See?" He turned to Peter with a smile. "No need for panic."
"I wasn't panicking!" Peter immediately became defensive.
"You so were!" James copied Remus's sweeping wand movement and words, and just as before, objects all across the room took flight like a group of oddly shaped birds, and settled in James's trunk.
"You were." Sirius swung his legs over the side of the bed, and rubbed his eyes.
"Was not!" Protested Peter, hurriedly closing his trunk with a loud bang!
"Mates!" Remus hid a smile, " Whether Worm-Tail was panicking or not I highly suggest that you all get up and ready. Padfoot will want to do his hair and all that rot, so please, gentlemen, get a move on it."
"My bed is so lovely, though…." Sirius sighed happily, flopping backwards into his nest of blankets and pillows.
Remus rolled his eyes, and quickly walked around his bed to stand directly over Sirius. " I don't want to do this, but-" He flicked his wand, and a stream of water poured out of his wand, splashing spectacularly onto Sirius.
"What-what was that for?" Sirius leaped out of bed with a squawk, wideawake and soaking wet.
"That was so we all make it to the train, and do not, as Worm-Tail put it, need to stay here with Filch."
"Whew! Made it!" Remus collapsed into a seat at the first empty compartment the Marauders came into. They had sprinted to get to it to the train in time, and by now, all where thou roughly exhausted.
"See? I said we would have. You need to have more faith in me, Moony." Sirius plopped onto the seat opposite Remus, a calm, satisfied smile on his face.
"Yeah, we made it because I bloody forced you out of the room!" Remus's voice rose slightly in irritation.
"I, for one, was worried." Peter took a seat next to Remus, flushed from exertion.
"Surprise, surprise" muttered James to Sirius, taking a seat next to him.
Sirius snickered, although a second later, his face darkened. " I still have no idea where I'm going for Christmas. Seeing as I can't exactly go home…." He sighed, and leaned back in his chair.
"What the bloody hells are you talking about mate? You don't want to come to my house? " James stared at his friend, a hurt look on his face.
"What do you mean? You never invited me!" Sirius turned in his seat to meet James's stare, a puzzled frown furrowing his eyebrows.
"I-dammit!" James smacked himself in the head. " My mum wrote to me weeks ago now, I can't believe I forgot, saying that under no circumstances could go have a miserable Christmas at Grimmauld Place, and that of course you were coming to our place for the break!"
Sirius gaped at James. A rush of warmth flowed through him as he thought about how much more fun he would have with his best friend, (who had an absurdly nice family) than if he were forced to endure his nasty, maniacal family.
"Prongs, that's-that's…" Sirius found he had no words to describe how he felt. The warm, happy feeling inclusion, of having the family he would never find in the rest of the Black clam, settled on him like the soft, sweet-smelling blankets in their dorm.
"I'm so excited! Its gonna be brilliant!" James grinned. "Worm-tail can't come, but Moony is, for the last three days before we go back, right?" James glanced at Remus for confirmation.
Remus nodded, smiling.
Sirius just sat there for a minute, trying to express how he felt.
"Just-thank you."
"You have plans, Ali?"
A compartments away, Alice, Lily, and Marlene were stowing their trunks and breaking out their stashes of candy.
" Yeah…" Alice giggled, and played with the end of her ponytail. " Frank, my date to the Yuletide Ball, and I are going to be hanging out a bit, 'cause he lives on the opposite end of town from me. Although that is all."
"Hey, can I sit here?"
All three girls turned to the entrance to the compartment. Isabella Lovegood stood there self-consciously nibbling her bottom lip, her silver tabby cat, Moonbeam, curled on her shoulder.
Lily exchanged glances with Marlene and Alice. Isabella had been rather friendly with them recently- walking to meet their dates together the night before, occasional discussions about classes- but Ravenclaws traditionally sat together, and Isabella wasn't even your average bookish Ravenclaw girl.
"I- Dumb of me to ask really. I suppose I'll, err, go sit somewhere else…." Isabella tugged nervously at her plain grey muggle sweatshirt, and turned to leave the compartment.
Suddenly, Lily felt a pang of sadness. She remembered all too well the pain of first year, before she worked up the nerve to talk to the already popular, funny Alice Fortescue, when she had no where to sit.
"No, no, theres absolutely loads of space here, you know. We where just surprised that you'd sit here!" Lily smiled brightly at Isabella, watching as a huge smile played across the other girl's face.
"Thanks, Lily." Isabella cautiously sat down next to Lily, her cat meowing loudly and curling up on the seat between them.
"Wait, if you're to sit with us- spill! Last night of with Sirius- what happened?" Alice, wasting no time at all, leaned forward excitedly, eager to hear of the events. Lily rolled her eyes. Obviously, Alice would be the one to ask for graphic details of someone she barely knows romantic date.
"It was…" Isabella closed her eyes for a second, "…perfect. He's amazing, really. "
Marlene coughed loudly, a deep throaty grunt that sounded suspiciously like 'corny'.
"Oh, really, Marlene? Calling moi corny?" Isabella arched an eyebrow playfully. "I'm not the one making wedding arrangement with Remus Lupin, the hottest nerd in Gryffindor!"
"Touché!" Hooted Alice, grinning wickedly. She'd wanted to say something about that to Mars for positively ages now, and just never got around to it. "You should sit with us more often, Iz!"
"James! Sirius! Over here!" Soren Potter, a tall, dark haired man with James's thick, wild dark hair and warm smile, beckoned James and Sirius over.
Platform 9 ¾ was bustling with families greeting their children home for the holiday, and the mood was warm and happy, despite the sharp wind and grey, dusky sky.
James and Sirius dragged their trunks through the crowd, occasionally elbowing their way through the throngs. As soon as they reached the Potters, Mrs. Potter immediately pulled both of them into a tight hug.
"Oh, its so wonderful to see both of you boys!" Mrs. Potter smiled, and then turned to her husband. "Soren, take the trunks, will you?"
"The things we do for our women…" Mr. Potter winked at the boys, and then flicked his wand at the trunks, lifting them into the air. "Anyway, I don't know about you, but I could really use some ice-cream. Up for Fortescue's, everyone?"
Sirius and James nodded enthusiastically. Sirius smiled happily, although not only because of the ice-cream. He really, really loved the Potters in a way that his family couldn't compare to. The Blacks- the noble, ancient house obsessed with blood-purity and elitism, pretending to be perfect around the outside world to keep their prestige in a world where friends where their friends would be the first to descend on their carcass and pick it clean. A sick, twisted family, hatred and deceit woven together like the family tapestry that Sirius knew his name had been blasted off.
And then there where the Potters. Although they were just as ancient a family, and just as wealthy as the Blacks, the similarities ended there. They were kind and loving, and had accepted Sirius with open arms when he and James made friends.
Now, they were the family that Sirius hadn't been born into, but had found along the way.
As if reading his thoughts, Mrs. Potter put her arm around Sirius, and pulled him close. "We're all so happy that you're joining us. Its great to have you with us."
"Lily, darling!" Maryanne and George Evans stood off to the side on Platform 9 ¾ , feeling, as always when they where in Wizarding areas, extremely bemused, but also very proud to be there.
"Mum! Dad!" Lily dashed toward them, her long, dark red hair streaming out behind her.
"I say, you've grown another six inches!" Maryanne hugged her daughter, and then stepped back to look at her carefully. "You're taller than Tuny, now, I see."
At the mention of her sister's name, Lily looked around expectantly, her bright green eyes searching out her sister's curvy, blonde-headed frame.
"Where is Tuny?" Lily looked back and forth between her parents, her brows knitted together. She and her sister had definitely had their rough patches, but Tuny had never, ever not come to pick her up from the train.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans exchanged a glance. "Your sister-she, well…" Mrs. Evans faltered.
"Your sister went to Tortola, in the Virgin Islands, with some of her friends from her school." Mr. Evans stared at the ground as he spoke.
Lily gaped at her parents. "So- We'll not have Christmas together?" Her head was spinning. How could her sister not be home for the holidays?
"Well, you have to understand, Lily dear, that Tuny has her own friends. She's 17, you know-"
"I know how old she is, Mum!" Lily interrupted her mother angrily. She wasn't sure why she was so angry all of the sudden. It wouldn't have been the first time that Tuny upped and went somewhere with her friends, but… Something about it being Christmas, Lily's being back home after 4 months, and Tuny just plain, fat-out not being there really irked Lily.
"Well, she does have a right. What with you not being here and all, its only right that she make her own friends. "
Lily suddenly felt a lump in her throat. "With you not being here." That's what her mum had just said. She was at Hogwarts, in a world that no one in her family could understand, and now, well, everything was different. It was true, though. She was in a different world. She had changed everything. She and Tuny had been the best of friends, before the letter, and the tricks, and that long, hot summer when everything changed.
"Fine, right." Lily stared at her shoes, willing her voice not to break. "Lets just go home."
It was a perfect Christmas day- bitter cold with a howling wind that rattled the windows of the Potter's home, and a heavy pewter sky. Inside, however, it was warm and cozy. A fire blazed in the living room, and the thick crimson drapes were pulled. The small of baking cookies wafted out from the kitchen, and mixed with the crisp, sweet scent of the large Christmas tree the Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, James, and Sirius were gathered around.
"Ok, boys: I have something for each of you, hold on a moment…" Mrs. Potter was garbed in a warm bathrobe, and her long dark blonde hair streamed down around her waist. Sirius smiled happily, imagining the cold, dreary scene that was no doubt unfolding at 12 Grimmauld Place at that very moment.
"James, dear-here's for you-" Mrs. Potter pulled a long, thin package out from under the tree, from where it apparently had just materialized.
"Is it-" James grabbed at the wrapping, clumsily unwrapping it to reveal a gleaming, polished broomstick. "It is!" James leaped joyfully to his feet, and grabbed first his mother and his father in huge hugs. "Thank you so, so, so, much! Its perfect! We'll beat the Slytherins into a pulp, now!"
"Now that's what I want to hear!" Mr. Potter chuckled heartily, clapping James on the back. "Your mum and I are happy you like it."
"And Sirius, darling, don't think we've forgotten about you, because we haven't…" Mrs. And Mr. Potter shared a glance, before Mr. Potter pulled a second long package out.
"Oh- you shouldn't have, really, just being here is plenty-" Sirius stammered, as Mrs. Potter shoved the package into his arms.
"Sirius, dear, what sort of Christmas would it be if you we didn't give you anything?" Mrs. Potter tsk-tsked, and then said comfortingly to Sirius, who was gnawing his lip anxiously, "Its not as if it's a strain on us. We're not at all struggling, you know. Now then, open!"
Sirius slowly, carefully removed the wrappings. They paper surrounding the object fell away after a moment, revealing a gleaming broomstick similar to James's, although it was slightly thicker, more stabel looking. "No! It's the SilverSwipe 3000, the best Keeper's broom on the market!" His jaw dropped, and he stared at the Potters. "How can I ever thank you enough?"
"Well, we've heard that you're quite the Keeper from James- I just hope that you use this well to beat Slytherin!" Mr. Potter smiled. "Anyway,it's a gift, Sirius. That means that we decided to get it. You don't need to act like you need to pay us back!"
"Anyway, we're just so pleased that you're joining us. Our Christmas would've been a bit lonely, as my family is out of the country, and Soren's brother and sister need to work. Its really our pleasure to have you." Mrs. Potter hugged Sirius tightly.
"Lily, sweetheart, why don't you open your presents?" Mrs. Evans sounded oddly formal, Lily thought, her somehow forced-sounding cheerful tone echoing loudly around the large, empty living room. In the past months, the Evans' had redecorated, evidently, and the new taupe and beige furniture set made Lily feel a bit out of place in her own home.
"Alright!" Lily heard her voice as though it was someone else's- an octave higher than normal, forcedly cheerful, exiting a mouth that had been locked in a blank grin for hours.
She quickly slid off a thin wrapping light pink paper to reveal…. an envelope, containing two crisp twenty-pound notes.
"We weren't sure what to get, so we decided to let you choose, you know, so you get what you really want!" Mr. Evan's mouth twitched slightly, like he was trying to smile, but couldn't quite get the muscles in his face to work properly. Lily remembered the days, not long ago, when it was only her far off relatives that gave her quid- back when she made long elaborate lists of what records she wanted, clothing she liked, and things she wanted to do. "Anyway, I'm exhausted, I think I'll call it a night, eh?" He yawned hugely (and fakely, something only Lily noticed, as he had taught her how to fake-yawn years ago.) and turned to his wife.
"Yes, me too." Mrs. Evans rose to her feet, kissed Lilly on the cheek, and left the room, her husband behind her.
Lily watched her parent's walk up the stairs to their bedroom, until their footsteps faded and the house was quiet.
Then, in the peace and silence of her home, Lily curled up and cried, crying for the family she had lost, and the family she had gained, and the world she had known that she could never be a part of again.
"Oh, I can't believe break is over that fast! I'm going to miss you, boys!" Mrs. Potter dabbed at her eyes with an embroidered hankie as she hugged James, Sirius, and Remus goodbye at platform 9 ¾.
"Mum-mum!" James struggled to break free of his mother's grasp. "You're embarrassing me! Gerroff!"
"Too old to her your mum, eh?" Mr. Potter's eyes twinkled as he hugged his son. "YOU be good, eh? Or at least try not to harm anyone besides the odd Slytherin?"
"Soren! Stop giving him bad ideas!" Mrs. Potter slapped playfully at her husband's arm, before turning back to the three boys.
"Sirius, Remus, its been lovely, a joy to have you. Be good, alright? If you need anything, any of you, don't hesitate to ask me or Soren."
"Thanks, Mrs. Potter," chorused Sirius and Remus.
" I've told you a billion times, you two, you're James's best friends, and you're family, really. Please call me Rebecca!"
"Thank you, Mrs.- Rebecca!"
"Oh, give me one last hug, will you?"
Sirius, James, and Remus hugged Mrs. Potter one last time before taking off towards the train.
"Come on, Bex. They'll be ok. They always are." Mr. Potter put his arm around his wife's shoulders.
"They always are," murmured Mrs. Potter softly, allowing herself to be lead away.
"Well, then, I guess this is goodbye, so…." Mr. Evans looked like he was going to piss himself. He hopped from one foot to the other, awkwardly shifting his weight.
"Bye, dad." Lily couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, and from the way things seemed to be going, her parents couldn't wait to get back to their normal, ordinary lives. Normal. Lily despised the word, hated the way it bent her mouth and caught on her tongue. Hated the way it defined her, boxed her off. Hated the way that it set her apart from her family.
"Oh, Lily. See you at Easter." Mrs. Evans pursed her lips the way she always did when she was nervous.
"Bye, mum." Lily hugged her parents quickly, hating how stiff their bodies felt next to hers.
"Bye…" Her parents waved slowly as Lily hurried toward the train.
" I suppose we'd best be off know. We should go pick Tuny up from the airport by now. " Mr. Evans frowned, glancing at his watch.
"Yes. Her flight does land at 11, we'd best be off if we want to catch her as she gets off the plane…" The Evans' wandered away, their thoughts moving on to airports and timetables, the world back to normal.
As the train pulled away from the platform, wind rushed into the compartments through the cracked-open windows. The air smelled of change, perhaps, sweet and crisp, and caressed the train's occupants with Amortentia-like possibilities of feelings.
To Lily, it felt bridges burned and paths chosen.
To Sirius, it felt like family.
To Remus, it felt like acceptance, despite who, or rather what, he was.
To all, it felt like a new beginning.
Whew! Eleven chapters! Wahooooo!
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