DISCLAIMER: ALL HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and the respective publishing companies. I do own Jenn Parksen, Lori Wilson, and Monica Sinclair as well this twisted version of the plot. This is, of course, a simple Fan-Fiction that I have written in order to retain some semblance of sanity and dignity.
Chapter 13: Midnight Reading and Explanations
The four teens chatted animatedly during the entire trip to Gryffindor Tower from the Great Hall. Just before they gave the password to the Fat Lady, James stopped them and spoke. "Okay, we can meet tonight. Just come down to the Common Room once all the other students have gone to bed."
"But how will we sneak out? Filch will be roaming the halls for sure!" Lily said.
"Leave that to me," James replied.
Together they walked into a full Common Room. As soon as they crossed the threshold, all the other Gryffindors stood up and started clapping furiously. Lily, Jenn and Lori blushed as they were congratulated on shocking McGonagall twice in one day. James, Sirius and Remus were also having their hands shaken and soon everyone was talking and chatting about everything that had happened that day.
It wasn't until around one am that everyone started filing off to bed. Lily, Jenn, and Lori went upstairs, put on their nightgowns over their clothes, and crawled into bed. They waited until they heard the pounding footsteps on the stars fade as the Common Room emptied. The rest of their dorm mates soon joined them as they too changed for bed and pulled the curtains closed around their beds. Lily and her friends listened intently to the sounds of their fellow seventh years until all of them started snoring.
The moment they were certain that all of the other girls were sleeping soundly, they slipped out of bed, and quickly pulled off their gowns. Grabbing her purse out from under her pillow, where she had tucked it when she'd got into bed, Lily and the others slipped back down to a dark Common Room where they waited for the boys to join them. They were shocked when James's voice rang out as if from thin air, from over by the portrait hole.
"Over here, ladies."
Turning to look, the girls saw nothing.
"Where are you James?" Lily asked.
"Here," James replied as he slipped the invisibility cloak over his head.
The girls gasped and grinned as his head floated bodiless over the floor.
"Come on; let's go sneak out past Filch!"
Ginning mischievously and more then a touch impressed with the cloak, the three girls quickly slipped under the fluid fabric of the cloak to stand beside the three boys. It was a bit of a tight fit, squeezing all six of them under the shimmering material, but if they stood in a very tight group and hunched their shoulders, they all fit underneath. Soon they were slipping out of the tower and into the hall, their exit completely unobserved as the Fat Lady had left to visit another portrait shortly after curfew.
Inching a ways down the hall, they stopped before reaching the first set of stairs leading down so James could pull a blank slip of paper out from his pocket. After glancing around the immediate area, to be sure no one was close enough to hear him speak, James tapped the paper with his wand and whispered; "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." And a map melted into view on the parchment.
Lily and the girls gasped in surprise as the map appeared, all three of the boys smirking mischievously as they noted the girls' reactions. James preened a bit as he perused the map with diligence until he located two wandering dots labeled Filch and Mrs. Norris. Satisfied that the cost was clear, James hurriedly led the small group past the stairs towards a little used corridor on the seventh floor.
Remus slipped out from under the cloak and glanced at the tapestry that filled one wall of the hallway before pacing in front of the opposite wall until a door grew into existence. The girls were slightly shocked at how much the boys knew about the castle's secrets, though not completely surprised given to how often the three of them disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Taking one last look at his map, James tapped it and murmured; "mischief managed", watching as the lines of the map sink out of sight before folding the parchment up and tucking it back into his pocket for safe keeping. Confident that their presence had not been discovered, the six of them filed into the room and took a good look around.
Inside they found a huge, a large, shaggy rug that took up most of the floor in front of a medium sized brick fireplace, several cozy armchairs seated at the edge of the carpet, a handful of cushions that were scattered about both the chairs and the floor, in addition to several mahogany end tables. On one of the tables was a stack of empty plates, cups, and silverware while on another there was a large stack of blank parchments, a few well used quills, and two bottles of ink.
James and Sirius held a short, whispered conversation while the others explored the room. After a few more exchanges, Sirius slipped back out into the hallway with the cloak and the map while James approached the others.
After searching the far corners of the entire room, Jenn exclaimed, "wow, everything you need to be comfortable for hours! All that's missing is a midnight snack and something to drink."
Everyone laughed, while James explained that Sirius had been sent to the kitchen to beg some treats from the house elves. Lori made an off-hand comment that there'd be nothing left to eat in that case and Remus calmly agreed. Snickering, the five of them headed closer to the fire and settled into the chairs or on the floor while they waited for Sirius to rejoin them.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Remus cleared his throat and asked, "So, would one of you like to tell me what this is all about while we are waiting for Sirius to return?"
"They didn't tell you?" Lily asked.
"Not a word."
"Peter was hovering at the time, so I couldn't say a thing," James cried in defense.
Remus just grunted in reply.
James sighed deeply, before he launched into an explanation about the book and how they had come to the conclusion that they should read it. Remus appeared to take it better then the other two boys had and he even seemed to think that reading the information held in the book was a logical decision, given the coincidences that had already been discovered. When James was finished explaining they sat there silently for a moment before Lori spoke up.
"Did anyone bring the book?"
"Yes," Lily murmured softly. "I have it here." She tapped her wand twice on her purse while whispering under her breath and reached inside to pull out the tattered copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Holding it gingerly, she set it down on the table beside her and shuddered slightly as the pages ruffled and shifted in a nonexistent breeze.
No one moved for several minutes, until Sirius returned lugging a huge basket piled high with all kinds of sweets and treats that he plopped down on the table next to the plates. Completely oblivious to the growing tension in the room, Sirius then plopped down on the floor beside James and proceeded to yank the cushions out from under his best friend.
James ignored him until on particularly violent tug sent him toppling over backwards into the table where the book sat, which sent the book flying through the air. Jenn reached out automatically and snagged the book before it could land in the fireplace and placed it calmly on her lap before looking up at Lily.
"I know we discussed this earlier, but are we still going to read further tonight? Or are we finished here?" Jenn asked pointedly after glaring over at Sirius for his recklessness.
Lily sighed and shrugged uncertainly as she leaned back in her chair while the others just fidgeted nervously. After a few minutes, when there were no objections, Jenn opened the book and scanned through the handful of pages, searching for the paragraph where they had left off. When she found the spot, she spared a quick glance at the others before she started reading. Slowly reciting the reactions of Professor McGonagall to the news of the Potter's deaths
"Wait a minute, what exactly has happened up to this point according to the book?" Remus asked looking confused.
"I forgot, Moony, you haven't heard any of the story have you?" James stated. "Jenn, why don't you start at the beginning? I know we've all heard it, but I think Remus needs to be able to follow the story as well."
"Alright, I suppose," Jenn said as she flipped back to the begging of the chapter and started reading out loud once more. Everyone sat listening as she clearly read about how the Dursley's couldn't stand Mrs. Dursley's sister, and how they wanted nothing to do with her sister's family. Of Mr. Dursley's obsession with his work and his poor opinions of those who are different and how anything magical was regarded as weird and Not normal. Then how Dumbledore appeared and the cat was actually McGonagall. As she reached the part where Lily and James were mentioned, Lily buried her face in her hands afraid of hearing those words for a third time.
Remus turned to look at both Lily and James as Jenn read of their death, his face turning pale as he whispered; "How horrible! And this book is supposed to be the future?"
Lily still had her face hidden in her hands, her shoulders shaking as though she were sobbing. James looked like he'd be sick any minute while Lori and Jenn just sat quietly as Remus tried to absorb what he'd just heard.
"Blessed, Merlin! Who wrote this book?" Remus demanded. "James! Didn't you say this book was in your dreams!"
James nodded stiffly, but said nothing. Remus digested this information silently as he turned back to the book to stare at it with wide eyes. Sirius soberly watched both of his friends while ignoring the book entirely.
James rose from where he was laying on the floor and moved over next to Lily's chair. "Lily?" he asked softly, "Are you alright?"
"I'm scared," she croaked in a fragile voice that cracked slightly.
James gently took her hands and pulled her too him. Lily resisted only for a moment before she gave in and let him hold her. He wrapped his arms around him as she began crying in earnest. Awkwardly he patted and rubbed her back in turns as she released the emotions that had been bottled up inside since that first night she had read the book.
The others sat quietly while James comforted Lily, trying not to gawk at the sight of Lily in James arms. Something none of them had ever been prepared to witness – given their past differences.
After several minutes, Lily quieted and slowly stopped shaking. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at James and opened her mouth to thank him but he stopped her by saying instead.
"Shhh, it's okay, Lily."
She nodded slowly after a few moments and took a deep breath.
Remus stood up and dug several bottles of Butterbeer out of the basket that Sirius had brought from the kitchen and passed them out to everyone. The sound of several caps being opened filled the small room as Lily slipped out of her chair and settled on the floor beside James as he kindly opened her bottle for her. Once everyone regained a sense of calmness, Jenn picked the book back up and cleared her throat.
"Shall I continue? Or should we head back to the dorm and get some rest?"
Everyone turned to James and Lily who looked at each other.
James coughed a bit then spoke. "I think we should at least finish the first chapter tonight. Then we can go. Are you okay with that, Lily?"
Lily sat thinking for a minute before carefully nodding her head in agreement. She didn't think she could speak just yet without bursting into tears once more and she felt she'd embarrassed herself enough after the uncharacteristic display of emotions in front of the boys and her friends.
Jenn nodded in return and settled back to pick up where she left off, now reading about Dumbledore's sorrow and the mysterious survival of Harry Potter.
"The boy who lived! Of course," Jenn announced suddenly. "The baby from your nightmare Lily, he will live!"
"What baby?" Remus asked. "What nightmare?"
"Lily has been having a dream that is almost just like mine, Moony," James answered softly as he reached out to rub Lily's back.
"Are you sure you're up to this, Lily?" Lori asked with concern.
"I don't know," Lily choked out.
"Maybe we should just stop for now," Sirius added.
James agreed as he watched Lily's shoulders shake with suppressed emotion. Taking her hand in his, he helped her to her feet, wrapped her in his arms, and held her tenderly as he stroked her hair.
Sirius stood up, slipped the Marauder's map out from the untouched basket of snacks, and used his wand to reveal the map so he could see where Filch and Mrs. Norris were stalking the halls. The others got up and began to move towards the door. Once James was certain that Lily was calm enough they began pulling the invisibility cloak over the six of them and they slipped out of the Room of Requirement and headed back up to Gryffindor tower.
After reaching the entrance to their tower, they ended up having to wait close to thirty minutes for the Fat Lady to return to her portrait. The moment she realized that there were students out of bed; she loudly admonished them for being out of bed at such a late hour. After apologizing to her, Remus gave her the password so they could climb inside. James took the map back from Sirius as they pulled off the cloak and quickly wiped the Marauder's map while Remus carefully folded up the cloak. Jenn, Lori, Sirius, and Remus bade everyone goodnight and headed to their respective dorms; leaving James and Lily alone in the common room.
Casting a glance at Lily standing in the middle of the room with silent tears streaming down her face and looking utterly lost, James decided to spend a few moments trying to comfort her instead of following his friends.
Carefully he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and led her to the nearest chair. He sat down and pulled her onto his knees so that he could hold her close as he whispered gentle reassurances.
Lily didn't fight him; she collapsed against him and continued to sob silently as he stroked her hair with one hand while holding her against him with the other. They sat there for almost an hour before Lily calmed down and began drifting off to sleep.
There was a squeak as someone moved on the stairs and James looked up to see Jenn peering over the banister rail watching him and Lily. She was frowning, but not in anger, it was readily apparent that Jenn was only deeply concerned for Lily. After a moment, she nodded to James and slipped back into the room she shared with Lily, Lori and a few other seventh year Gryffindors.
Jenn quietly closed the door, walked over to Lori's bed to sit on the edge of Lori's bed, and waited for Lori to sit down next to her. After glancing at their roommates and Monica, where she had fallen asleep in Lily's bed, to make sure none of them were awake, Jenn turned to Lori and softly asked; "You think it really does tell the future Lori?"
"I don't know the whole thing seems fishy," Lori replied just as softly.
"Yes I know it does. How would a book from the future get here in the first place? And how did it get back into our room after Lily tossed it out!" Jenn huffed as she sat back against the bed post and crossed her arms.
"The whole thing stinks of Dark Magic and Lily seems to be affected the worst. How was she doing?"
"She was still crying when I peeked a moment ago. Potter was trying to comfort her though. He seems different now, almost like he's trying to grow up."
"Yes it does look that way doesn't it? He better not hurt her or I will have to teach him a lesson in manners," Lori growled earnestly.
"Yeah, you and me, both. But did you know, the night he carried Lily to the hospital and freaked about the book, he confessed that he loved her."
"Really? Potter told you he loves Lily?" Lori asked in disbelief.
"Yes, he did. He swore he would never do anything to hurt her either, all because he loved her," Jenn responded knowingly. "It would explain why he's been so determined the last few years to go out with her."
"Maybe, but he has played some pretty mean jokes on her through the years."
"True, but not once since just after our O.W.L. exams in fifth year. Well, I am tired and tonight has given me much to think about. I'll see you in the morning," Jenn stated as she slipped off of Lori's bed and climbed into her own.
"Goodnight, Jenn."
"G'night, Lori."
As Jenn pulled the covers up over her head and turned out her bedside lamp, Monica placed a hand over her mouth in fear as she lay wide-eyed in Lily's bed with the covers pulled up over her face.