A/N: I am currently running on 4 hrs sleep b/c of this story. So if it sucks, I'm sorry. In fact, I'm well aware of the fact that it both sucks and it's really short so I'm REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SORRY because I had a time-constraint thing that contributed to a mini writer's block. See, my choir is recording a CD so, life is pretty full right now.
Also, I'd like to say hi to tazgrl. I'm her new beta! So I'll let you know when her story is posted so you can support my new friend! You may not like the ship she chose for her first fic but trust me, it'll all work out in the end.
So, on today's menu is some snow fun and hot cocoa (I'm drinking some at the moment). This will be short, but I'm sure y'all will get over it eventually. Sorry (again). I have some long chapters coming up, so don't worry.
Disclaimer: I may have little thing for shy werewolves, but I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Remus would soooooo be mine!
Chapter 9: Snow Angels
Sophia was shameless. Absolutely shameless. She was not three meters away and yet the girl was flirting with Sirius! Not talking, flirting. Ella couldn't hear much, but she could tell from that ridiculous girl's stupid, stupid face. It was called her 'flirty face'. She made sure she kept her eyes wide open, to give the full effect of their deep bronze color. Her blood red lips were slightly pursed to make them more noticeable. Sirius was lapping it up like a dog. Even though Ella gave him plenty of attention, she knew he still missed the old routine: find a cute girl, make her faint and move on. Still, of all the girls he could have chosen, it just had to be Sophia. Ella perked her ears, straining to hear the conversation.
"Oh, Sirius, you sexy beast!" the other girl cooed, playfully slapping the boy's shoulder. "You don't know the half of it," Sirius murmured. Ella, not knowing how the conversation had come to this and not really wanting to know, sent the girl a death glare, trying to keep her temper in check. I will not kill her, I will not kill her, I will not kill her… she kept repeating in her head. But Sophia ignored her searing looks, choosing, for some stupid reason, to instead to take a seat in Sirius's lap.
And that was her last mistake.
Out of no where, something wet exploded against Sophia's face. Chucks of snow slid down her shocked, open-mouthed visage to reveal Ella, a grin spread across her pixie like features and her hands wet with snow. Revenge felt good.
Remus watched the whole event unfold from a stone wall a safe distance away. He had a look of amusement on his faced as his witnessed a yelling match start between the two girls. There was a lot of gesturing towards a surprised Padfoot and plenty of profanities exchanged.
"What's going on?" asked a voice from behind him. He turned and saw Lily leaning over the short wall.
"Oh, Padfoot just did something stupid and now he's in the dog house, so to speak. Sophia's in trouble too. Ella's been yelling at with her for the last ten minutes." Both silently chuckled at the girl's temper. Ella was scary sometimes.
The match continued as the couple watched. Evidently Ella won as it ended with Sophia stomping away in a huff as Sirius took his turn with Ella's wrath. "What kind of idiot gets on her bad side?" Remus asked in wonderment. Lily just shook her head, unable to find an answer. After another moment the pair turned and headed toward the untouched corner of the grounds, allowing Sirius to be scolded in private.
It was quite difficult to find as spot clear of frolicking students. It was the last snowfall of the year and the whole school was celebrating. Pure luck had allowed the weather to occur over the weekend. Lily was enchanted by the snow. Never had she seen it so perfect and undisturbed before. Snow plows usually attacked the streets of her home town before it even started to snow, so this was quite a treat. Remus, noticing her look of wonder, smiled and gently took her hand. They wandered, trying to find their own little patch of winter, watching as some first years magically constructed an igloo. Finally, when they were far from the school and from the hustle and bustle of other busy students, Lily released Remus's hand, flopped down in the snow and started to move her arms and legs in a very odd fashion. The boy quirked an eyebrow.
"Lily, what on Earth are you doing?" The red head looked up from her work and said, "I'm making a snow angel."
"What's a snow angel?" Lily's jaw dropped. "You don't know what a snow angel is?"
"No." She sighed. "Help me up." Remus complied with her request, grabbing her outstretched arms and hauling her to her feet. They examined her work, his arm wrapped around her waist. The angel was perfect. Large snowy wings seemed to swoop up over the head as a long white gown flowed to it's feet. Light refracted of the glittering snow, making rainbows in the air. "Now you try," Lily instructed. So Remus, willing to obey the whim, threw himself upon the ground and made an angel similar to Lily's. When he was once again standing, the couple smiled at their artwork. Twin angels stood side by side, one bigger than the other, wings mirroring each other. Sunlight glinted off of the impressions in the snow, making them glow. It was beautiful.
"Oi! Moony! Think fast!" came a familiar voice. Remus turned to see who it was and got a mouthful of snow. James had decided to have a little fun with his friends. He pelted them with snowballs, forcing them back through the snow to duck behind a nearby snow bank. Peter was helping him, laughing maniacally in the background. Lily crouched behind their make-shift bunker, still trying to figure out what was going on. Remus on the other hand, used to James's random attacks, was skillfully compacting snow into ammunition. Clearly this was main stream. He looked up from his work as the pelting sound stopped a growing pile of snowballs at his side. James was out of ammo.
"Ready?" he asked her. Understanding that this was war, she nodded. "Potter's going down." Like a well oiled machine, they both grabbed a snowball and let them fly. Lily risked a glance over their protection and caught the sight of James being hit directly in the chest. She giggled as she ducked back down. Snowballs started flying faster, both sides stopping every so often to reload. In the end, it was Lily's deadly accuracy that caused both Peter and Potter to surrender, both boys with many bruises. On the trek back to the castle, Remus noticed the snow angels. Though still faintly visible, foot prints and the sighs of snow scuffle scared the creatures. A large gash across one gave the impression of a broken wing. The angels were destroyed.
Lily gave his sleeve a tug. "Come on, Remus, its cold!" she said, urging him towards the cocoa waiting in the Common Room. Without realizing it, Remus had stopped walking to contemplate the angels. He grabbed Lily's hand and started moving again, wondering why a knot had formed in his stomach just because some snow angels had been ruined. And why did he suddenly feel more protective of Lily?
He shook off the feeling as they entered the Common Room. The house elves had kindly set up a cocoa station that was being happily abuse by every Gryffindor in the tower. The Marauders (Ella and Sirius had joined the group at the portrait of the Fat Lady) fought their way through the crowd. Remus hooded two mugs with his wand and used his free hand to manipulate the tap. Dark, foamy liquid gushed into he cups, causing the wand to droop dangerously. Finally, after much cursing and jostling, he sank into the couch, handing Lily a mug. She murmured a thank you. As the gray-eyed boy beside her leaned back in comfort, she whispered a spell. Two small pots appeared on the table before her. Lily took from both, mixing the two reddish brown powders in her drink. She sipped from her mug of creamy hot chocolate as Remus inspected the bowls with interest. He sniffed them. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Yummy.
"Do you always do that?" He asked conversationally.
"Do what?"
"Put all those spices in your cocoa?"
Lily looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course! You can't have it any other way. Always add spice to life and trust me, it'll never get boring." With that she returned to her chocolate, the steam curling gently around her face. Remus just smiled. He couldn't help it. She was his angel.
A/N: I know I'm dodging well aimed snowballs right now, but THIS CHAPTER WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE LONG! In fact, it was planned as a quick write so that I could update fast, but then I had tests and recording sessions and rehearsals and crap. OH! I had a school trip to Washington D.C. for four days so subtract that from your running tally of how long it takes me to update.
ANYWAY, I'm really, Really, REALLY sorry it took me so long and that it is so short. The next one's longer and fun. I'll start it as soon as I'm done here. SO REVIEW and thank you to all of you who participated in my Reader Challenge. Keep 'em coming. I need more ideas, though so far my favorite for Lily is Lilypad (obviously) or Angel and I haven't gotten any for Remus. Sorry, Julia, Howl doesn't count. Cool idea, but no. Also: check out my C2 for stuff to read while I'm slaving away over a hot keyboard. I love you all, my faithful readers. Thank you for sticking with me so far. We've passed the half way point. The end is in sight. Tell me what you think about a J/L sequel (I'm thinking about it! No promises!)
