A/N: Hi guys! Well I'm posting. And you guys stink at answering the polls, by the way. I think I had one reply...for Quirrel, because that sounds like squirrel, lol. Anyways, my beta likes Dorcas, and I like Emmeline. The next poll question (which you really should answer) is...What sport or activity do you wish your school had? My beta would like lacrosse, and I have to say, that sounds like a cool sport to have. I think my vote goes there too. As long as it wouldn't be in soccer season. Anywhoo...read, review, answer the poll. Have a good weekend!
Chapter Eleven: A General Concern
The next night, Lily returned from work in a relatively good mood. James had comforted her for a few hours the previous night before she insisted on his leaving, he had training first thing, after all, and Lily was in considerably higher spirits. Noticing that it was only quarter to six, Lily decided to study over some case files before getting a quick dinner and then going to Hogwarts to meet McGonagall. James, of course, had insisted on taking her as far as the classroom, and had decided to come over at seven thirty. Lily, always so independent and bold, thought he was being ridiculous, but appreciated it nonetheless.
Seven-thirty approached quickly as Lily absorbed herself in her work, and was startled when she noticed it was quarter past seven and she hadn't eaten anything yet.
James arrived at exactly fifteen minutes later, trying to look as fresh as possible, but the large bags under his eyes told Lily just how tired he was.
She greeted him with a kiss, which he happily accepted, and they set off.
They found themselves outside their old Transfiguration room at five minutes to eight.
James hadn't spoken much, signaling his exhaustion.
"You all right, James?" Lily asked before entering McGonagall's classroom.
James nodded, stifling a yawn and grinning at Lily.
"We just had a lot of physical training today. Bloody exhausting." he replied.
"Well this will probably only last an hour or so, so if you'd like to have dessert or something, we could…but I understand if you're too tired." she smiled up at him, her red hair flowing down her shoulders and her green eyes twinkling.
James leaned in and kissed her softly.
"Sorry, love. I think I need my rest." He smiled apologetically, but Lily just beamed back at him.
"I knew you were exhausted, Potter. Why didn't you just admit it?"
"Because that would be no fun. I wouldn't get to see you tease me…because you know I find it absolutely sexy when you do." He gave her a wink before she hit him lightly.
"I've got to go see McGonagall. You get some sleep…" Lily said in a quiet, serious tone.
James nodded and saluted her. "Yes ma'am."
She went to hit him again but James was too quick and dodged her hand. He grinned at her once more before planting a quick kiss on her lips and turning around to head back to the Hog's Head.
"Have fun, Shnuckums!"
Lily let out a light laugh before shaking her head and opening the door, where Professor McGonagall was waiting patiently for her.
"Hello, Lily." Professor McGonagall greeted her, in kind, yet somehow prevailing severe manner.
"Good evening, Professor." Lily replied with a smile, partly from common politeness, and partly from the butterflies James had left her with.
"Shall we begin?" McGonagall asked after a moment's pause.
Lily nodded energetically.
"Alright then. Let's bring your skills up to par. I'm going to ask you to do simple basic spells, you use the same form with your eyes, but this time, don't say the incantation. Go back to how you first learned from sixth year, and incorporate it with wandless magic."
Lily nodded again and began to concentrate with a furious determination. She was going to get this right.
Professor McGonagall smiled once more before placing a single feather on her desk.
"Please transfigure this into a pillow."
Lily nodded and took a deep breath before blinking her eyes and focusing.
Not uttering a word, she turned the feather into a pillow.
Professor McGonagall smiled appraisingly at her.
"Now we'll do it again."
Lily nodded. By now she knew that all her private lessons had one thing in common; repetition.
XX
James entered the old garage that was filled with all sorts of automotive junk. In the center of it all was his work in progress, the Ford Thunderbird convertible.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He had changed into an old gray tee shirt and some old jeans that were already covered in grease stains before he set out to work.
James hadn't been working for five minutes when he was interrupted.
Sirius appeared in front of him, tailed by a smiling Remus and Peter.
"Hullo, Prongs." Sirius greeted with a grin as he searched through the toolbox.
"Padfoot…what are you all doing here?" James asked. It was a Thursday evening, and he was exhausted. He expected his friends to be the same.
Sirius shrugged. "Lily's birthday is in three days, and you aren't nearly finished yet. We thought you might need some help."
James grinned at his three friends before letting out a small yawn. "Thanks."
Peter made his way over to the car and looked at it for a minute before going to find some tools for himself.
James was about to question him but stopped himself. Peter probably knew what he was doing, it was rare, but Peter did have some useful skills, and sometimes he even surprised himself with his own cunning.
Remus, with tired bags under his eyes approached James, smiling all the same. James nodded and patted Remus on the back.
"Full moon in a few days." James stated. "We'll be there."
Remus smiled thankfully. "You guys really don't have to, I mean…know that you guys are working, you are already so tired…"
"Nonsense." Sirius interrupted. "Monday night, we'll be in James's basement as always."
"It won't be an inconvenience?" Remus asked again uncertainly.
James shook his head. "No, Moony, of course not. Besides, Lily and I are going to have dinner here Monday anyways, we're telling my parents about our engagement." James added proudly.
Remus smiled and shook his head. "I still can't believe it."
"I know." James replied with a tone that suggested that he really was in a state of disbelief.
"I mean, Prongs got Evans…" Sirius added, his eyes suddenly became brilliant and playful. "Have you shagged her yet?"
James laughed. "If I had, do you really think I'd bloody tell you?"
Sirius gave the most sincere face he could muster. "Yes, you'd tell all of us."
Remus and Peter were now grinning at James.
"You haven't, have you?" Peter asked.
James couldn't resist anymore and just smiled and shook his head. "No, we haven't. Not like it's any of your business and Lily would probably kill me for telling such…personal information."
Sirius raised his eyebrow. "Well Charlotte seems to think you have."
James, remembering Sunday, just laughed. "That's because Charlotte walked in on us having breakfast. Honestly, she's too nosy and assuming for her own good."
"Well, that's what it looked like." Sirius added somewhat defensively.
James just chuckled more and began working on the car.
"No, it looks like you and Charlotte are shagging each other." James grinned wickedly before ducking under the car to avoid Sirius's grasp.
Remus just chuckled softly and Peter fidgeted with his tools in concentration.
"Take that back!" Sirius exclaimed, half yelling, half laughing.
"No." James replied boldly. "Because it's true."
Sirius just shot him a glare, folded his arms, and stood silently for a minute before smiling to himself.
"Well, if you don't have a problem with it." Sirius said finally.
James let out a laugh. "Oh bloody hell, Padfoot, is that what you've been worried about?"
Sirius gave him a dark look. "Well I know how protective you are over Charlotte…she's like a sister to you."
"Yeah, Padfoot. And she's also as wild as you are, and I gave up long ago worrying about her. She does what she does, and she has sense and I deal with that." James stated before laughing again.
"And it's you, why would I care about you dating her? You're like a brother to me, I trust you, I know you don't do anything stupid…intentionally."
Sirius gave an admirable look to James before giving him a brief hug and then looking away.
James let out another small chuckle before getting to work on the car.
Remus then appeared beside him holding instructions on how to repair a carburetor.
"I think you're doing that wrong, Prongs." Remus said in a calm voice as he studied the map containing the inner workings of a carburetor.
James walked over and, as he stood a few inches above Remus, looked over his shoulder at the instructions.
"Well I'll be damned. I am doing that wrong…thanks Moony…"
Remus just nodded and continued to look over the instructions before helping James. Peter worked silently at the hood of the car, insisting that he knew how to install an invisibility booster. Sirius, meanwhile, worked on the interior of the car with his wand, claiming Lily would love blue leather to match the pending paint job, and that the Muggles didn't make cars go nearly as fast as they should while he fiddled with the speedometer.
Three hours later, and the car was practically complete, the only thing missing was a nice coat of baby blue paint, which James had picked out himself at the local hardware store.
Stifling a yawn, James stretched.
"It's looking good, guys. Thanks for all the help."
"No problem." Sirius stated brightly. James suspected he was still delightful about his approval.
"Yeah, really it was nothing." Remus added, although he looked just as worn out as ever.
Peter just smiled; glad to have been of use.
"Well, we better get home." James said after a few tired minutes. "I'll see you." he motioned to Remus and Peter, "Monday, come by for dinner first. We're going to have a sort of…dinner celebration party."
Peter and Remus both nodded and then apparated back to their separate homes; Peter's at his parents, and Remus' at Flourish and Blotts.
"Let's be off, Prongs." Sirius said finally.
James nodded before checking his watch. "I suppose it's too late to stop by and see Lily."
"Yeah, and we have training in the morning…" Sirius grumbled as he followed James out of the garage.
XX
"Very good, Lily" Professor McGonagall commented after an hour of practicing silently.
Lily smiled and wiped the line of sweat that was forming on her brow.
Professor McGonagall checked her watch and then nodded. "I'd say that's enough for tonight."
Lily placed her wand in her robe pocket and grinned back up at her old professor. "All right."
"We'll schedule again at the next meeting, which I'd say will be in the next week or so." she continued as she straightened some things at her desk.
"I'll be waiting for the owl, then." Lily replied.
"Yes…yes." McGonagall continued, her voice had something Lily rarely heard in her tone, an awkward willingness to continue conversation.
"Is there anything else, Professor?" Lily tried, diverting her eyes to the floor.
"Well, yes." McGonagall said quietly, in an almost motherly tone. "Lily, you and James and your friends are all so young. I just want you to know that Dumbledore and I, we appreciate your dedication to the cause."
"It's the least we can do." Lily replied, trying her best to look at ease.
"And the most." McGonagall replied, a grim frown reigning her thin face. "You all are risking your lives for this, and it's the most we could ask for. I'm sorry that it has to be like this. I never like seeing youth wasted in war."
Lily looked up at her old Transfiguration professor, her eyes were glistening with tears that did not come, and Lily found her eyes threatening to spill as well.
"It's all right, Professor. We know what we've gotten ourselves into, and we're ready for anything." Lily stated with a confidence she was dying to feel.
Professor McGonagall smiled a quick, light smile and nodded. "I only hope you are. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is getting more and more powerful, Lily, and things are bound to get hard, and I just want you and James and the others, I want you to continue being young, continue to be youthful. You're only young once, after all, and I don't want any of you to lose it before you've experienced it."
Lily nodded again, her heart beating quicker with the Professor's words, and she smiled back at her. "Don't worry. With James and Sirius it's going to be hard not to be youthful."
McGonagall grinned impressively. "I suppose they are just as rambunctious as they always were. Take care, Lily."
"You too, Professor." Lily waved as she made her way out of the classroom.
As she walked down the halls of her old school, her stomach lurched as she thought of the Professor's words.
She didn't want to lose her youth in the war, and she was determined to keep the others just as light hearted, no matter what stood in front of them in the future.
Much thanks to IAMSOAP, LUV24+Alias, sharp-tongued, anonymously morgan, complicated123, WhiteCamellia, Kaean, hoolihoopgrl1131, Heather grenenz, scooter1710, Jude Harrison, Sosirius'sgurl13245, official cheeky devil, glowing-ice, Zippy-Wings, blvd, and chikichiki for BEING SO GOSH DARN GREAT AND REVIEWING!
Oh and Luv24+Alias…..I LOVE Alias…did you see the last episode? I think it's Vaughn! Anyways, better not get me started on that…
And to glowing-ice…don't worry about people getting killed off. Good people will start dying soon enough…lol. I'm just trying to increase the severity of the situation gradually. Lily and James aren't going to realize the many deaths until they're involved, as it is there point of view, so yeah. Don't worry though.
Thanks to my beta, who always does a great job with my work…and comes up with such great poll questions.
And by the way, sorry if these last few chapters are a little short. I'll try to write a long chapter soon.
NOW MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER THE POLL! AND REVIEW!
thanks…