No words were uttered once a few people read the article. It began to circulate around tables, and then once it had been told to everyone, people just looked around at one another. Everyone just stared at one another. And then they stared at the Gryffindor table. Lily, James and the others just stared at the newspaper waiting for someone else to pick it up and read. And in their minds, all that popped up were those brown and blue eyes, smiling at them and making them laugh a minute before. And then, someone had to be strong, and someone had to read the truth. That someone was Emily, who picked up the Prophet and spoke clearly.
"An attack has been made on Aguas Buenas Magical Academy for Girls, leaving 5 corpses and the rest of the girls missing. Whether bodies unaccounted for or bodies held captive has yet to be found out by the ministry or any sources. Nevertheless, what information has been covered is that all of the bodies found have been girls the ages of 14 and older, belong to (in order of age) Marisol Cruz, Yesenia Flores, Emmelina Vega, Angelica Vasquez, and Altagracia Velasquez-"
"She's missing?" Sirius interrupted, snatching the newspaper from Emily and looking closely until he found the part where she led off. "'Eric Potter, our head chair in the Wizengamot's daughter, Eris J. A. Potter, is one of the bodies unaccounted for, along with all of the head students under the age of 13; Mallory Rodriguez, Evelyn Sanchez, Rosalyn Ortiz, Sophia Martinez, Mayan Mendez, and Maria Diaz. As of now, all that can be said about this attack is that all of the young ladies that were killed were in attendance of the Academy's 'Welcome Home' ball, a ball that Potter herself was reportedly spotted in.' That's it. I mean, this is great!" What the hell was great about this? And Lily asked just that as she looked up at Sirius.
"What the bloody hell's so great about it?" she asked, uttering one of the first foreign sounds in the Great Hall, because no one but the two was speaking.
"That she isn't dead. She could-"
"No. It says that her body is unaccounted for. She could have been disposed of. She could be getting tortured by Voldemort himself!" Lily screamed, before Sirius's eyes turned dark.
"That's a really stupid thing to say Lily! What the bloody hell-?" Sirius screamed, as he stood up.
"You lot should calm down. And you should sit, Sirius." James said softly, before Sirius looked at him. This was not the time or the place to start any type of discussion that related to this.
"No. It was a really stupid thing to say for someone who's supposed to be so smart! Do not-"
"You're only pissed because you know that she hated you! I hate you and this is your entire fault! She wouldn't've left if it wasn't for you, and I hope you die knowing that! This is all your fault!" Lily screamed, before she got up and walked away. Wow. That was heavy, and a bit too much to burden on one person. Sirius was still stunned even when Lily was long gone. So stunned in fact, that he stood there with the same look on his face for five minutes, before he stepped back, shrugged Emily off of him, and walked out of the Great Hall. A minute or so after Sirius left, Dumbledore stood up and spoke.
"Head to your dormitories and wait for your head of house." He said, before he began to discuss foreign things with the professors around him. And then, as soon as James stood up, the doors of the Great Hall opened, and in walked Peter.
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As Lily, James, and Remus sat in the regular Gryffindor common room, Sirius walked in and walked straight up to his dorms. The room was mostly quiet, except for spurts of chatter here and there. When McGonagall walked into the room, it gradually quieted down until it became so quiet that a pin could be heard.
"Was there an update, professor?" were the first words uttered. Everyone looked up at Sirius walking down the stairs, with his cloak in his hands. "Did you hear anything else?" he asked.
"No, Mr. Black. There have been no updates, thus far." McGonagall said, before she looked around the common room. "But, until further notice, there will be changes made to Hogwarts as we know it. As of now, curfew is 6:30-"
"What?!" was screamed from almost everyone.
"Curfew for everyone is 6:30. The Welcome Home ball is cancelled. There will be no visits to Hogsmeade village. There will be no outdoor activities. No 4th year or under can wander without an upperclassmen with them. No students under 7th year shall wander without a group of two or more. And no one is allowed outdoors un-chaperoned. Until further notice."
"All because she's up and gone missing?!" someone unidentified called, making Lily whip around and point her wand in the direction, before black vines shot from her wand. And then, she pulled on her wand, making a guy fly into the wall.
"Ms. Evans, let him go." McGonagall said, looking at the guy bound from head to toe, thrashing around on the floor. Lily twisted her wand a bit, before tugging on it.
"Retractum." She shouted, before her wand sucked up all of the black vines. On the floor, cowering up was Samuel Saints.
"You have something that you wish to share, Mr. Saints?" McGonagall asked, before she looked at James and Lily. Samuel stood up and nodded.
"Yes, Professor." He said, nodding and looking at Lily. "It's a right stunt. This is all to help Potter win the Head of the Chair."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'll bet the prophet was paid off to write a false article about her missing to gain sympathy and win the election. It's a trick."
"You think that the fact that students have gone missing is a joke?" McGonagall asked, before her lips went as tight as angel hair pasta. "Detention in my office."
"Yes, professor." Samuel said, before he glared at Lily. Then McGonagall looked at the rest of the students in the common room.
"There will be no classes for today. And other than your common rooms, your dormitories, and the bathroom, the library is the only place where you students should be. Until further notice." She said. "That'll be all." And then she walked out of the room, making them all look around.
The rest of the day was long, dreary, and uncharacteristically quiet. Lily and Sirius avoided one another at all costs, and because of this, James was torn between two. It was as if he was that rag doll that they both attempted to tug on for comfort. On one hand, James was almost certain that Sirius was in love with E.J, so he felt for him immensely. And on the other hand, he knew that Lily and E.J were as close as… they were as close as peanut butter and jelly should be in a sandwich. So, what was he to do?
Well, naturally, although you love your brothers… you cater to your girl first. It's just the way it's done. So, when Lily slammed through the common room and to the head's dorm, James followed after her. When she walked in, she whipped around and looked at him.
"Can you believe this?" she asked, throwing herself on the couch. "I can't believe this. Can you believe this?" James shook his head and sat down.
"No." he said softly. "I can't believe it either." And those were the only words spoken between those two for the night.
The next morning, Lily woke up with James's head in her lap and her hands in his hair. As soon as she moved, he rolled over, and there it was. Tears in James Potter's eyes- well, dried tear streaks, at least. She'd never seen him cry before. She didn't even know that he could cry. I mean, if he could cry, that meant that he wasn't just another dumb guy that had no feelings, and while she always knew that James was more than just a dumb guy athlete, she did still think that he was like most guys… emotionless. And it was only when he stared up at her, did she really know that he was anything but emotionless. He was more in tune with his emotions than she was. He knew exactly what he was feeling and he was not ashamed to show it. Or… so she thought. Instead of saying anything, he stood up and walked away. No 'hello' no 'good morning' not even a 'what's up, doc?' Well, if he wanted to play that way, he most definitely could. Not taking the initiative to greet either, Lily stood up and collected her outfit from her room, before going in the shower.
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When Lily got down to the Great Hall, she was awarded the misfortune of having to sit and wait with Kay and Emily at the table. Lovely. Luckily, it only took six minutes for the guys to walk down. And when they did- well… when he did, he walked straight over to her and sat.
"Why'd you leave without me?" James asked, before he stole her jammed crepe.
"Hey!" Lily said, swiping his hand. "I wanted that."
"Yeah, well, I have it." James said, taking another bite. Lily looked at him and laughed, before she stole her crepe back. This time, she took a big bite of it and chewed triumphantly.
"Not anymore." She said, before she smiled.
"Well, isn't this lovely?" Sirius said, as he plopped down next to Emily. "I can't say how pleased I am that we forget that anything has happened and have gone on with our happy little lives."
"Hey, Pads." James said looking up at Sirius. But Sirius didn't even acknowledge him. It seemed as if at the moment, Sirius only had eyes for Lily. And they weren't happy ones. Unhappy eyes they were.
"While I'll die knowing that it was all my fault that she left, you'll die knowing that while some people waited and worried, her best friend, you, tried to use this as a golden opportunity to move in on your beloved." Well… if anything could take away your appetite… it would be a remark like that. But, instead of admitting that, in reality and in her heart of hearts, she knew that she was probably using this as an opportunity to comfort James, she stood up and threw her plate of crepes in Sirius's face, then walked away. Sirius looked around and wiped the strawberry jam from above his eye, before standing up and shaking his robe out.
"Well, Padfoot, I hope you're happy." James said, before he stood up and walked away.
"Why is everyone walking away from me?" Sirius asked, looking to his girlfriend and his best friend #2.
"I don't know why anyone would walk away from you, love. I certainly wouldn't." Emily said, as she scooted closer to him and began wiping the strawberry jam off of his face.
"Well, aside from you strutting around like a prat, you've been insulting people." Remus said, peeking from behind his book.
"Who have I insulted?" Sirius asked, before he scooped some jam off of his face and licked it off of his finger. "Bye ladies. Moons, you coming?" Remus looked around and rolled his eyes, before he stood up and they walked out of the Great Hall. "Who exactly have I insulted?"
"Lily and James, maybe?" Remus said sarcastically. "They're distraught at the time, Sirius. As am I."
"And I'm not distraught?" Sirius said. "She was my best friend. And I… she was… you know how I felt about E.J. And Lily started it. Did you hear the nonsense she said to me yesterday?"
"Yes. And while I understand that she's angry, I don't believe that she should've said that to you. But, you must understand where she's coming from."
"What about me?"
"What about you?"
"She told me that E.J left because of me. And now-…" Sirius looked around and wiped his face with his hands. "If E.J left because of me, and she's now in danger and missing… doesn't that mean that it's my fault that she's missing? Doesn't that mean that if… that- if something happens to her, it's my fault?" Then he left the question behind, before he looked at Remus again. "If something happens to her, it is my fault."
"Pads, no offence, but… E.J would never allow you to dictate her life."
"But-"
"No. If you two had gotten together, she still would've left. She would never allow you- actually, a relationship. She would never allow a relationship to dictate her life. So… don't flatter yourself." Remus said, looking at Sirius with a teasing expression.
"I guess you're right." Sirius said. "If anyone would know, it'd be you." And then he walked. Away, at that.
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A week passed before anything useful was put in the prophet about the murders. But, while it was useful, it wasn't useful to the group. The entire article was full of theories and ideas, and even an interview with E.J's dad. Surprise surprise… Uncle Eric used this as an opportunity to seek some exposure on his campaign.
"You know," Lily started, "You'd think that he mentioned her." In all reality, that was a laugh. James had never actually heard Eric talk about E.J in a loving way. It always seemed to James that Eric hated E.J. All the times when she was younger, when she didn't have a choice in where she stayed, when she used to beg James to stay over and come over- he always got the idea that Eric didn't like his daughter very much at all. That's actually the reason why James started to love her. He always thought that she needed somebody, and that her mother was too blind to see her or the situation at all. Even when she was younger, she was so self aware, and so aware of the others around her. Even when she was younger, she knew who her father was, and that they had no real ties to one another. It was E.J's endless supply of knowledge and her lack of interest in power that made James love her. And even more so, what was making him hate her. With his head full of thoughts, James looked at Lily.
"No, actually. I didn't think that he would mention her." James said, looking around the room. When his eyes stopped on Lily, she smiled at him. Somehow her smile led him to believe that she was asking a question. A question such as, 'is this ever going to be okay?' Surprisingly, she knew that he read her mind, and she shook her head.
"Is it?" she asked. Silence, and then looks. Suddenly, Lily realized how selfish she was being. This was his family. And this was a gigantic family issue, most likely personal and professional, and a kick in the face to him and his parents more than E.J's father. Here his family was suffering a loss, and she was looking to him for comfort and answers, when he should be looking to her. He was providing his shoulder, when she should be providing hers. What was wrong with her? "I'm sorry."
"No. I like not being the victim." James said, shaking his head. Again, he was reading her mind. "The truth is that everyone asks me how I'm feeling, and in reality, it hurts worse because of the pity being put on me."
"I just feel bad that I'm telling you about my problems… when she's your family."
"Lily, it's okay. I like talking about your problems."
"Yeah, but I don't. Have you heard from E.J's mom?"
"I-"
"Actually, I have a question. And I want to preface it with; you can trust me."
"Okay." What was she going to ask? In all honesty, he was afraid. Not because of what would be asked about him. But, because he had a feeling that the question was about E.J and what only James knew about her.
"You know E.J better than any of us." Oh boy.
"I know."
"Her mom isn't anything like her father, is she?" Oh… that was a lot better than what James thought she wanted to know.
"No. E.J's mother loves her."
"Does that mean that her dad doesn't?" That was a question to keep under his hat.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because I've only met E.J's parents that one time. And… anytime we talk about her parents, its always about how she hates her father. I never thought for a minute that her father could hate her back." Well, she knew. She was smart, and she figured him out.
"Well, I don't really know. Of what I know… E.J's father does not love her." Wow.
"Wow." Lily said softly. Never had she thought that it was possible that when E.J spoke about hating her father, it was a mutual thing. Lily always just thought that Lily hated her dad for reasons that were unreasonable and stupid. Little did she know that E.J hated her father because her father hated her. "You know, when I think about it, there's so much that I don't know about her. And I feel like a bad friend, because she knows everything about me."
"Don't feel bad. E.J can work a room, but she's more of a listener."
"You know, I feel really bad that the one regret that really goes through my mind is that she won't be here to make me feel better when I'm sick." Lily said, tearing up. "She could be dead, and I'm thinking about myself." Before James could swipe the tear away, the portrait swung open and Sirius ran through the door with a prophet in his hand, waving it around. James and Lily were still dwelling over the prophet released the day before.
"News!!" Sirius said, scurrying over and sitting next to James, before giving Lily the evil eye. "News."
"What is it?" James asked, taking the paper away before he furrowed his eyebrows. "It says here that last night, a farmer in Funchal, Portugal saw a bright light coming from his farmhouse. And when he went to check it out, he saw a bunch of wooden rods on the floor. When the Kevin Skinks asked to see them, he identified them as wands." Then a look of anger crossed his face. "She's running."
"And you're angry that she's trying to get away?" James shook his head.
"She won't make it." He said.
"James!" Lily yelled, swatting his arm.
"If they keep giving updates of where they're being spotted, he'll find them. She should be here in a matter of days, and she won't get past him, because from the direction she's headed, it's obvious that he knows how she'll try to get into England. So, he's going to have people all over France. And they'll all be looking for her."
"But, if E.J's father is such a prat that doesn't care, why is Voldemort still going after E.J? That won't grant him anything." James nodded. Something about his eyes didn't match the nod that he was trying to get by with. But then, even more, there was something about one of those girls that E.J was protecting. I mean, Lily didn't know E.J like the back of her hand, but if there was something that amazing about her, Lily and all of the others would know. There was something that Voldemort wanted on one of those girls. And, Lily wanted to get to the bottom if.