Hi there to all my readers. Well I know, I have got lot's of apologies to make sigh, I feel very useless lol, but bear with me. :)
First of all , I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've never passed the weekend before, and hopefully I never will again lol. This week was a little busy because of a family holiday and a lot of homework to do over my (sadly over now) holiday. But I did finish all my projects YAY!!! And even got in some revision time lol but doing all that meant that I DIDN'T fulfil my other promise sigh, which leads me to apology number two.
You may or may not remember that I promised to reply to each and every review as I've always tried to do lol. Unfortunately , I didn't quite make it, think I got to roughly thirty out of the forty and had to give up because of hand cramps lol. I guess I've had to accept that it probably won't be possible to answer every bodies review every week, and I am sorry for it, because it's actually one of my favourite parts of writing this fanfic. I will how ever try to reply to as many as possible, but I will warn you now that I might not get round to you. I am VERY VERY sorry!
Some questions however keep popping up and so as I haven't got around to replying to some here's a few answers that I owe to quite a few people lol. :)
-I update on Saturdays, or at least I try to lol. Once a week, aiming for the weekend just about covers it.
-So far this story is planning out to be somewhere around thirty to thirty-five chapters long, but this is really changing every week because every week new ideas come and replace the old ones lol. However you will be glad to know that there is a general plotline, and that plotline should hopefully be covered in somewhere around thirty-five chapters. If it does change however, I'll keep you posted.
-Sirius is a little more present in this chapter, though only in the second half, but I say this to all my fellow Sirius fans who missed him last chapter he IS in this one, though more through Lily's viewpoint, and NEXT chapter he will have a very very big role !!he he he :)
-Finally, many people were understandably extremely frustrated with James' complete and utter DUMBNESS in regards to not realising Lily is head over heel for him. I suppose, all I can say is, yes he is dumb when it comes to Lily. Sure he's a genius and everything, but when it comes t emotions he's really quite useless. Partly it's a guy thing, but it's really more to do with the fact that he's spent a whole year convincing himself that she never loved him and he HAS to stop loving her, that he's finding it very very hard to see past that prejudice now. James is black and white; he doesn't do grey, which is why any change is a big thing for him, and it will take a BIG event to finally convince him of her sincerity. He he he ;)
I thinks that's about all for now, so I'll simply say I hope you like this chapter, and I will also say good luck, as I've just looked at the word count and it's up in the thirteen thousands. God do I ramble! Oh well, I hope you guys like it anyway, and see you in roughly three hours time lol.
All Over Again: Chapter 14
Music. The physical expression of a human soul. Notes transformed into sparkling beads of emotion and then strung together by the composer to give audible form to the raw and unforgiving reflection of his deepest depths. A silken chain that threads though the listener's mind and unbeknownst to them, ensnares and captures it, until the hold is finally strong enough to wrench them from reality's grasp and pull them over the rainbow, across the bridge that separates fantasy from fact, and into the painful world of "If only"s and "What might have been"s.
He felt that hold now, the soft tendrils of longing brushing his heart, as the strings seemed to dance of their own accord beneath his brown fingers, bringing back the memories. The soft, flickering firelight, the quiet gentle strumming of the guitar; all that was missing were the people around him. His mother leaning back against the sofa, her head slowly dropping onto Dad's shoulder. Mami rocking back and forth, one and two, creak...creak in her favourite rocking chair by the massive stone hearth, knitting needles working busily away on yet another woollen creation. And of course, the gnarled fingers of Grandpère Monroe, brown on brown, coarse on smooth as they corrected over and over again his grandson's playing.
The gentle Spanish folksong wafted sweetly around the stone room as it had all those years ago. A time when love songs still warmed the cold winter nights, making eyes smile and lips sigh in small content. Back before the War had really started, before Mamie had succumbed to the Spanish influenza, before his gruff, scowling Grandpère had finally left the world and the music he adored, to join his wife in final sleep. But not before he'd taught his Grandson everything he knew.
James felt his hazel eyes well up as the strings hummed and called him home, and as he squeezed them tight against the pain, he could hear the old man's voice chasten him for losing to the music, the rough tones still melodic despite the passing years.
"You play the music, mon p'tit, it must not play you. You invoke the emotions. Others lose themselves in them. Lache!. Maintenant!."
But he was losing the fight. His hands moved, faster and faster, the notes escaping of their own accord, the melody too familiar for James to pull back now. His eyes stared into the space before him, glowing in sweet madness, scarlet lights flickering in their depths, but not from the flames that strained against the stone fireplace. The copper mane flashed and danced like a spray of molten gold, and she spun before his minds eye, her eyes glinting emeralds, smiling and enticing, her lips pinker than the ripest of fruit. Painfully beautiful, sinfully innocent, she twirled and pranced to the Spanish love song, ever faster to match his burning fingers.
The music climbed higher, gaining speed and passion as the end approached, the end he knew was coming, as certain as the dawn, because he remembered this song, and the pain and heartbreak as the two lovers were torn apart by pride, stubbornness, and finally death. The final note flew, her eyes locked with his, pleading for him to stop, but the story had but one ending, and so she turned and followed the last agonising sound, driven over the cliff by despair and need for the person fate had cruelly denied her. And in the silence of his mind, he could hear his own voice call in grief, call her back, scream for her forgiveness, the sound echoing back mockingly to his ears as the guitar slipped from his fingers, the heavy clang echoing the knife thrust that the young man delivered into his own heart.
James leant back against the cushions, breaths coming raggedly and painfully, hands trembling before he opened his eyes to reality once more. The last echoes of the song lingered in the Heads Common Room, and he pushed back the inevitable feelings of longing and loss. It had been the last one Grandpère had taught him; the most difficult, the most beautiful and the very saddest. It seemed fitting.
He looked up and her eyes met his, echoing the emotions so completely that his heart almost tore apart. Her nymph-like form was framed by the oak doorway to her room, and the imposing structure made her seem all the smaller and more fragile. The copper locks hung around her agonised face, green eyes soft, pink lips open in silent longing.
For a moment the spell held, and James swallowed back the pain as their souls reached out for the other in long-denied yearning.
Then he tore away, eyes and heart, and rose to his feet, looking anywhere but her. His hands unconsciously reached for the abandoned guitar and placed it lovingly on the couch. James turned to the portrait hole and spoke in a voice that sounded nothing like his own.
"I know; Patrol. Let's go."
It was strange how different the castle suddenly became after nightfall. Shadows crept eerily up the stonewalls, small sounds seemed magnified by ten and the silence between the two Head Students lay heavy like a blanket as they walked side by side down the empty corridors.
Strange, thought Lily. Usually she loved the night. The silence always seemed welcoming to her, peaceful and comforting. But tonight her pulse was racing, her heart pumping uncomfortably somewhere in her throat. Near blinded by the darkness, every one of her remaining senses seemed to be on overdrive; she could hear every breath, every footstep, she could smell the mixture of spice and freshness of her companions' cologne, and she could feel. His proximity was intoxicating, making the hairs on her neck stand up on end, sending small pleasurable shivers down her spine every time his movement brought them momentarily closer. It was as if she'd drank fifty cups of coffee one after the other; every nerve was stretched to breaking point, and every inch of her body seemed to be on fire.
She took another deep breath, the hundredth in the last half hour, and snuck yet another glance at him. Just like every other time, he wasn't looking at her, eyes fixed on the gloom ahead, but from time to time, as they passed a window, the silver moonlight would capture his profile and make her catch her breath at the harsh, masculine beauty.
Contrary to her, he seemed completely at ease, alert but confident, his stride smooth and purposeful as he moved one graceful leg in front of the other. But she could tell he was being deliberately careful. His face was once more a mask, cold and closed unlike the strange openness he'd had earlier that day, and she wondered at it.
Throughout the entire afternoon, he'd acted strange. The camaraderie from the Head's Dorms had lessened, but he'd still stayed determinedly close, close and infuriating. Every action, every word he'd spoken had been specially designed and calculated to piss her off.
In Transfiguration he'd decided to show of as ever, by transforming his inanimate object into a Phoenix instead of the desired crow, and more to the point he'd used HER pencil case as his inanimate object!! Lily felt her blood boil as she remembered his smug face as he'd been awarded twenty points to Gryffindor for his arrogant, look-at-me, display and Lily had had to wait until the end of the class before Professor McGonagall would permit her to change it back.
Charms had been almost as bad. For some strange reason, Jenny's wand had been inexplicably redirected away from the plant she was trying to charm into flashing the seven colours of the rainbow. Instead, Lily had spent the whole lesson flashing from red to violet and back again until Professor Flitwick, could stop giggling for long enough to remove the spell. Jenny had apologised over and over again, but the demonic glint in James eyes was enough to convince Lily that her friend had been entirely blameless in the affair, and she'd proceeded to glare at the gorgeous arsehole, for the entire duration of the lesson.
Dinner had mercifully been much more bearable. The airheads of the school had successfully surrounded the Marauders during the entire meal, preventing Potter to do anything but smirk down the table at her, in between long, slurpy kisses with his happily restored blond bitch. But even that had been enough to wind Lily up and if looks could kill, James Potter would have been lying dead on the floor two hundred and thirty six times in total. Jenny had mischievously counted. Even as she'd said good-bye and good night to the girls, Lily's eyes had still been flashing over to where her nemesis was grinding into Taylor's buttocks, so the expressions of fear on the different portraits faces as she'd passed had been really quite justified.
The portrait hole to the Head Common Room had been thrown open, if not with a slam, at least with a decided snap and Lily had thrown herself onto the wonderfully comfortable couch and closed her emerald eyes in an attempt to
'cool it' as Jenny often said. It hadn't been easy though; thoughts of the messy haired Head Boy who would undoubtedly be returning sometime soon, had continued to plague her, until the object of her ill humour had swaggered through the portrait hole, cool as you please, informing Lily with a smirk that she had about an hour to pretty herself up before their 'alone time'.
Just thinking about it made Lily's eyes darken in anger. Alone time her arse. His manner, the arrogant wink he'd thrown over his shoulder at her before disappearing into his room, had made Lily's famous redhead temper ignite into a blaze. In fury she'd stormed into her own dorm, slamming the door behind her, cursing James Potter with every name under the sun and thrown herself onto her four-poster to scream into her pillow.
And then she'd heard the music. Soft, lilting notes of sweetness, slipping under the oak door to her unwillingly curious ears, and she'd lifted her head to listen in growing awe. The song was soft but charming, and Lily had smiled as the melody danced playfully and flirtatiously; the essence of young love. And despite herself, Lily couldn't resist. The notes coaxed and enticed and she'd found herself tiptoeing to the door to lay her ear to the oak panel, in an attempt to hear better. But still the sound was muffled, and Lily had itched to open the door and see if it really could be James playing the wondrous sweet sound.
And it had been. Sitting at the window, the first beams of moonlight picking out his closed eyes, black lashes and brown fingers that were caressing the strings to create the notes. Her silent gasp had gone unnoticed. He was lost in the music, far away where not even she could reach him. His lips moved to unsung words, and the song had begun to escalate. The notes had come faster and faster and faster until his fingers were a blur as they strummed the strings quicker than the eye could see. Lily had felt her heart tremble in fear as somehow, suddenly she knew where the music was leading them, the only possible ending. His eyes had flashed open, wide and agonised as they'd stared at something she couldn't see, but she'd felt his pain and yearning and she'd mourned with him, eyes welling up with tears for a heartbreak she couldn't understand. All she could feel was the sadness, the feeling of doom as the song flashed like thunder, louder and louder, faster and faster until the last final crescendo and she'd gasped at the sudden onslaught of emotions that tore at her heart.
She'd watched the beautiful instrument slip from his now motionless fingers and then he'd looked at her, golden orbs burning into hers with an intensity that had almost made her collapse to the floor. Even from this distance, his passion, his raw burning power threatened to consume her and her poor stuttering heart, before suddenly he'd released her, removing the prison of his eyes and allowing her to escape. He'd let her go, thrust her away before she could give in to his fire.
His sudden halt pulled her out of her musings and she looked up at him with curious eyes. He was tense as a cat, eyes narrowed and breathing soft and even as he listened to the darkness. Lily strained her ears, searching for whatever it was that had made him stop. She could hear nothing. The charms corridor was empty and silent, save the light snores of the occupants of a couple of the portraits. Three huge windows threw a criss-cross pattern onto the stone slabs and velvet rug, the streaming moonlight would reveal even the stealthiest of intruders. Lily frowned, confused. There was nothing here. And still James stood there, silently listening.
Finally Lily could take it no more and she opened her mouth to ask the question burning on her lips when suddenly James' head spun faster than the eye could see. She followed his scorching gaze, but only the shadow of one of the suits of armour looked back at her. Then James spoke, softly and reassuringly as he finally met her gaze.
"Nothing. Must have been imagining things. Lets go."
He indicated for her to move ahead and, with one last doubtful frown at him, she did so, and the watcher permitted himself the smallest sigh of relief.
His disillusionment charm was perfect, in the gloom he was all but invisible, but still something niggled. Potter had still somehow sensed he was there; how? He hadn't made a sound. No human could have picked up on his presence, so why had he stopped?
She was walking away now. Her copper mane somehow silver in the bright moonlight and he sighed once more, this time in wistful longing. She was still heartbreakingly perfect.
The sigh was silent even to his own ears, but to the observer's shock Potter's head suddenly spun around and impossibly, his arrogant eyes burned into his own invisible ones. The watcher's breath caught. Time stood still and Potter glared him with impossible, hateful comprehension. No! it wasn't possible! He couldn't know, just couldn't.
The contempt in that burning gaze made the watchers blood boil, and his fingers inched towards his wand in yearning. Merlin, how he hated him. The arrogant, cruel git deserved to die for hurting her as he had, to have him now living with her was almost unbearable. He'd taken the thing he loved more than anything in the world and one day he would pay.
The watcher silently longed for him to attack, to strike first, giving him a reason to curse him into oblivion. But with one last look, Potter turned away, turned his back on this observer and walked back to her side, his arrogant and obvious challenge apparent in the very nonchalance of his movements. The observer snarled with hatred, but tonight he was a spy, and disobeying orders would lead to the giving of this job to another.
The spy watched them exit the corridor. No he couldn't give this up yet. Having a legitimate reason to watch her, it was worth even Potter's hateful proximity.
When all was completely silent. The watcher moved, his silent feet echoing the path she had just tread, and when he breathed in deeply, he could almost taste the spicy sweetness of her perfume lingering on the air. He licked his lips, and silently wept for what he'd thrown away. Lily…
Just half an hour more. Thirty minutes longer. One thousand eight hundred seconds; he could hold on that long, he fucking would! She would not make him crack. She would not sodding break him!
James' eyes burned furiously as he repeated the mantra he'd been inwardly snarling for the last hour. But she was so so close. Even keeping his gaze firmly aware from her, it still didn't really help. His senses were already a thousand times better than a normal human, thanks to his animagous form. The essence of the stag ran in his veins, he could hear an owl flying a hundred feet away, he possessed reflexes worthy of superman, as well as being able to run faster than most racehorses. That was what being an animagous did for you, the reward of years of study and dangerous transfiguration. But tonight he would have given it all up at a moments notice.
She was so close he could practically taste her on his tongue. The darkness heightened his already unnaturally powerful hearing so that each breath and stuttering heartbeat was as loud as drums. Normally, he could block this constant flood of extra information, but in the silence, it was inescapable.
He could sense her tension too, by the way she swallowed every few seconds, the quiver of taught muscles she was fighting to keep under control, and the smell of nervousness was coming of her in waves. She kept glancing at him too, and every time the urge to look back into those breathtaking emeralds was almost more than he could bear. But he held on, barely. Just as he'd held on before they'd left. Held on with a strength he hadn't known he'd possessed. He'd never imagined he could ever be so close to forcing a girl, the very idea disgusted both him as a person and his upbringing as a gentleman. But she; she was slowly driving him to madness.
James berated himself suddenly. He was yet again getting distracted. Worse, he was letting HER distract him. Damm her!
He paused infinitesimally and listened as hard as possible. Nothing. The watcher hadn't returned; James breathed and carried on walking. Whoever they were, they'd disappeared about ten minutes ago, somewhere near the dungeons. At first James had been suspicious, fearing an ambush, and had unwillingly close the gab between himself and the girl next to him, every muscle and sense on the alert for the telltale breathing that had given the observer away. But eventually he'd accepted that to all intents and purposes, the observer had turned in for the night, and James had gratefully returned to keeping his distance from the redhead beside him.
The minutes crept passed, seemingly as slowly as possible in a deliberate attempt to drive James to suicide. But finally, his treacherous watch glinted up at him showing that it was twenty past eleven. They were up on the seventh floor, and it took ten minutes to return to the Head Dorms. James breathed a sigh of relief.
As if in answer Lily looked up at him, and nodded. In silent unison they turned around and began to make their way towards the staircase, when Lily hesitated.
"You realise we haven't talked."
Her voice was nervous but determined, and it cut across the silence abruptly enough to make James spin round in sudden surprise. After an hour and a half of quiet, any sound was enough to make one jump.
For a moment Lily thought he wasn't going to answer. The surprise had been hidden as swiftly as it had came, and the eyes that looked into hers were deliberately expressionless. She bit her lip nervously, wondering whether to press further. Would he take it? Then:
"Enemies don't tend to." The words were soft and lacking in any emotion, but they still stung. Lily winced but fought on. He'd sworn dammit.
"Earlier you said we'd talk. You…" She hesitated on the suddenly lame-sounding words.
"You promised."
She watched as the sneer darkened his eyes and his lip curled in distain. She cringed inwardly. Maybe not the best tactic. After all their history made any talk of promises a touchy subject. Sure enough, his answer was cold as ice.
"You make me sick."
Lily flinched away from the venom in his voice, but she couldn't completely blame him. It was a stupid thing to say, and she watched him turn harshly away with eyes full of regret and self-anger. Still the cold contempt bit, and the tears welled up and over before she could push them back, and all she could do was wipe them away as quickly as possible, so that no trace would show when she ran after his disappearing back.
Then a snarl, mere centimetres away made her head shoot up, and she stared uncomprehending at the red piece of fabric suddenly being held under her nose. Lily raised her blank eyes to his face but he refused to meet her bemused wet gaze, glaring at the nearby suit of armour, jaw clenched and eyes dark as night.
Lily took the handkerchief with trembling fingers, and as soon as it left his grip James had snatched back his hand, and walked over to the nearby window, gripping the sill hard enough to turn his knuckles white, even in the soft moonlight. His breaths were coming fast and heavy and Lily watched in silence as the inner battle he was fighting twisted his features into beautiful anger. Then he spoke, the words spat through gritted teeth as he asked the question that had been consuming him since earlier that day.
"Why didn't do you it?" Lily's eyes raked his profile, searching for some clue as to what he was talking about, be he refused even to look at her, self-disgust curling his lip as he unwillingly revealed his weakness in desiring an answer. She paused, thinking wildly, but eventually had to say
"Why didn't I d…"
He swung around in a flash, his glorious face suddenly inches from hers, his breath warming her cold cheeks as his eyes burned molten gold.
"Why didn't you say you'd go out with him, Evans? Why?! Why dammit?!"
The green emeralds widened in swift, sudden understanding, and Lily stepped back, seeking to flee, to run away as fast as her legs could carry her, but his strong hands came to grip her white shoulder with new urgency. She struggled for a moment but he held fast, his gaze never wavering from her white face, furious but somehow desperate too. Then he spoke, voice breaking in barely repressed pain as he pleaded now for an answer, and she couldn't not turn back to him.
"Please, I…I need to know."
He looked so young was her first thought, lost like a little boy, depending on her answer so much his hands were trembling against her thin shirt. And he was so so beautiful, his ebony hair glinted in the moonlight that streamed through the antique glass to caress his right side and her left. What else could she do but tell him the truth?
"Because I can't hurt you."
She gasped in disbelief at the words she'd allowed to escape as the momentary madness brought on by the pain in his eyes faded, and quick as lightening she back-pedalled, words spilling from her lips as she babbled desperately.
"I'm not like you Potter; I won't try and hurt people for revenge like you do. Stooping so low as to shag someway I don't give a fuck about just to get back at someone who…" But his jaw was dropping now, his eyes darkening in new incredulous anger, as he stared back at her.
"Are you even listening to yourself?" She glared at him and the expression on his face turned ugly.
"That's EXACTLY what you fucking did Evans!! You fucking shagged ME!!! To get back at ME!!!! Damm you, Evans how can you even spout that bullshit?!!! You shagged me and dumped me because I was, as you put it, the most vile despicable piece of womanising shit to walk this planet!! So what's changed Evans?! Why are you now trying to act like the 'white as snow' angel?! For once in your fucking life tell the fucking truth, damm you!!"
His voice was shaking with fury, her eyes flashed like green lightening as they spat answer after vicious answer, back and forth, each only intent on releasing the lingering feelings of frustration and hurt. One brown hand was now clasped around her jaw, angry fingers forcing her to meet his eyes, her white ones were pressed against his chest, pushing them apart with all her might as he dragged them ever closer.
"God Evans why do you do this to me?! Why can't you just hate me and be done with it?! Why can't you fight back, hurt me in return, like I deserve?!! Why do you have to make feel guilty, damm you?!!"
He was almost yelling now, his rich voice echoing of the stone walls in fury as his grip on her cheek and chin tightened unconsciously and then she spoke, gasping with lingering anger, but shocked, stunned even, as his words sunk in.
"That's why you helped today. With the prefects. Because you felt guilty." His eyes widened, and all at once he was the one pulling back, face suddenly forced back into his expressionless mask, and her the one following, demanding answers.
"You can't stand the guilt, can't bear the thought that I might be a better person than you are. You want a reason to continue hating me, something to justify this continued war between us."
Her eyes sparkled in comprehension, mixed with dawning anger, and he cringed away from her words like blows, until her last accusation brought his head up in sudden unexpected fury.
"A reason to hate you Evans? You think I don't have a fucking reason?!"
And in one swift movement James caught her in a grip of iron and crushed her mouth under his, all his anger and hatred for this girl he couldn't forget pouring out in the hot frenzied mingling of tongues and lips. She responded just as fiercely, lust and longing driving her to thrust her fingers into his hair and puling him down towards her until their bodies seemed to fuse in the welding moonlight. He backed her against the wall, trapping her hands in one unbreakable grip as he forced them over her head and proceeded to kiss and bite his way down the white skin from her ear to her collarbone. She gasped in that strange mixture of pain and pleasure, groaning as his free hand wrenched open her shirt to reveal the bra beneath. Her eyes closed despite herself, and all she could do was give in to his onslaught. Because truthfully, she never wanted him to stop.
As quickly as it had started, his lips left her tingling skin and he drew abruptly back to look her deep in the eyes, showing her every ounce of hatred and loathing he felt in that one burning glare.
"I hate you Evans more than anything in this world, because I can't escape from you. Day and night your image torments me. I can't sleep because even in my dreams you come to torture me, making me want you, need you so fucking badly. I loath you with my entire being because like it or not, every second of the day I spend not touching you is a sodding waste, and no mater how many mindless blonds I shag, it doesn't do a fucking thing. I don't need ANY other reason to despise you Evans. Look at you're doing to me Evans: nothing could ever make me hate you more.»
He thrust her away from him and turned back towards the window, so that the moonlight transformed him into a black silhouette before Lily's shell-shocked gaze.
"Go back Evans, go back and sleep."
"James…I…"
"Please. Just go."
And she did, looking back at him one final time with agonised eyes, before walking quietly the last few meters to the Head Dormitories. Her voice echoed down the corridors to him as she gave the password, and his lips twisted into a cynical smile. Erised. Score one to Dumbledore. What was that word? Irony? The password had never seemed so apt.
James waited for the sound of the door being quietly shut before moving, and then he ran. Ran down the two flights of steps, using every ounce of his unnatural speed and agility, feeling the power racing through his veins as he flew out of one of the many doors that led to the castle grounds, before finally allowing the physical form of the stag to burst forth from his human shell. And under the sad, compassionate gaze of the all-seeing moon, Prongs danced.
Tuesday passed in a blur. Lessons, and the girls seemed to take up all of Lily's time and thoughts. It was their seventh and last year, and the teachers were apparently wishing their pupils a not-so-fond farewell by piling on as much homework as possible. Already, Slughorn had assigned a project due in a month's time, McGonagall's aim was obviously to deprive them from eating or sleeping and even Lily's favourite teacher, Professor Flitwick, had demanded a four foot essay on the Protean Charm due for next Monday. But despite the whirlwind of schoolwork, one particular person still found their way infuriatingly often into Lily's thoughts.
Throughout, Potions, Herbology, and double DADA, he'd been tantalizingly close to her, never more than a few seats away. His golden gaze seemed to permanently scorch her back, only looking elsewhere during those few brief moments when her need to gaze at him overcame her pride and she allowed her eyes to glance quickly at his handsome profile. But he hadn't spoken to her.
The thought made Lily frown, as she silently undressed, so lost in her thoughts that the bang of the closing portrait hole made her jump out her reverie. Then she sighed; it was only James leaving. As Captain, he had decided to arrive with the rest of his remaining team a good half hour before the trials officially commenced. It was Wednesday, now. The day of the Quidditch Trials had finally arrived. Her chance to prove herself to the entire school, to her friends and to Moniqua. And of course to her nemesis. She gazed wistfully at the oak door that separated her dormitory from the common room they shared, her thoughts lingering despite herself on the memory of the tall dark-haired figure in his leather uniform. Unconsciously she licked her lips, before suddenly scowling. Curse her bloody hormones.
Lily turned back to her four-poster bad where her own clothes were laid out in readiness for her, silently berating herself for thinking about James in leather trousers when she should be concentrating on winning her position. She had to concentrate, she told herself for the thousandth time, James would pounce on any excuse to pick somebody else. She couldn't make a single mistake; only perfection would force him in naming her the new chaser. Focus, Lily, focus. There would be time for drooling later.
Five minutes later, Lily was analysing her reflection in the full length, gold-rim mirror with a small approving smile, but the sigh that escaped as she turned around to pick up her broom was distinctly rueful. No point kidding herself that she'd picked out the sombre ensemble for any other reason than that she looked damm good in it. The black stretch denim clung to her legs like a second skin in a way that could rival his glorious leather any day, and matched with the t-shirt, with it's longs sleeves and shimmering blackness, she could modestly see the uncanny likeness to Catwoman from the muggle comic strips. But, she defended herself rebelliously, if he could look good enough to eat on the Quidditch pitch, why shouldn't she?
Her white hands dug into the auburn mane and finally succeeded in restraining the red strands with the help of a black hair band. There! Perfect! Professional but rather sexy if she did say so herself. Lily smiled at her face in the mirror and brushed the last few escaping tendrils behind her ears. Another mischievous grin. Like hell she'd be the only one getting distracted.
The Quidditch Stadium was all but full and James scowled at the masses in frustration, safe in the knowledge that they were to far away to notice. Normally, James revelled in his status as Hogwarts' Golden Boy, but today, popularity was a bloody nightmare. There were roughly one hundred people sitting in the stands, a little under half of the entire school populous. Shame there were no more than seventy Gryffindors in the entire school, the dark-haired idol thought sourly, eighty max. Damm the sheep-like attitude of his fellow students, sodding timewasters the lot of them. Every year they did this.
Beside him, the remaining members of last years team exchanged equally exasperated looks. Ever since James and Sirius had joined the team, the annual Quidditch Trials had become more and more chaotic. Half of the people present weren't even in Gryffindor for Merlin's sake. How dumb could they really be?!
Thankfully, past experience had allowed their Captain to prepare for this ritual streaming process, and true to form, a moment later James sprung into action.
He was definitely an imposing figure, Lily allowed begrudgingly, as she watched him swagger forward to the green grass at the bottom of the stand. It was the leather that did it, she declared defensively to her disapproving subconscious. How could any girl resist those broad shoulders and toned, lean muscles, encased as they were in that skin-tight black uniform. ANY self-respecting female would allow herself a quiet moment to admire his thick and carefully windswept hair, the breathtaking grin he'd just fixed on to his glorious face as he welcomed the crowd with his usual charm.
He also had presence and authority, she conceded, as she watched him clap his hands once and the babbling masses instantly fell silent under his now intense gaze. Every eye was trained on him, but no sign of nerves or discomfort showed on his face or in his posture. He oozed self-confidence, revelling in the stares of admiration like a Hollywood movie star. This was where he was meant to be. He was born to be special, a leader, one of those one-of-kind people who seemed to go through life with a spotlight trained on them. On this pitch, he was king, the adoring fans and wannabes; his people. Lily sighed sadly. Never had he seemed so far out of her reach as he did now.
But he was also no fool, and Lily found her lips quirking upwards in an appreciative smile as his next words echoed round the stadium, magically magnified.
"Alright, lets get down to business people. Much as I thank you all for coming, I want every person who is not a member of Gryffindor house to be out of this Quidditch Stadium before I count to five, anyone who refuses will be…persuaded to do so by rather more violent methods. I give you all fair warning."
His white teeth glinted as his sexy grin deliberately softened the blow of his words, and Lily scowled at three of the girls around her who had just flushed a deep pink as they made their rather wobbly way towards the exit.
A minute later, barely forty people remained seated and they in turn rose to their feet to occupy the seats closest to the ground. Lily did the same, moving close enough to see and be seen by the five people standing on the pitch itself. Jenny threw her an exasperated eye roll before grinning impishly at her friend as she took in and approved Lily's choice of outfit. Sirius being Sirius, refused to demean himself by grinning, but the slight curl of those fine lips indicated that he too had noted her black ensemble. James himself had determinedly avoided looking anywhere near her so far, but even this couldn't dampen Lily's excitement. The Nimbus Five-Hundred clutched in the black gloves Moniqua had also bestowed on her, gave Lily a courage that seemed to sweep away any doubts or fears.
"Right, next step, guys. I want anyone not in second year or above to clear out too. You all know the rules, so I won't waste my time or yours by reading you the rulebook like certain prissy prefects used to love doing so much."
Lily glared as his famous smirk spread over that handsome face. The bloody git. Even as he continued to look anywhere but at her, she could feel the mockery coming off him in waves. Her jaw clenched as she felt her blood boil. She'd show him.
Nearby, other people were moving towards the exits, five of them Lily counted in laughing disbelief. What was it some people didn't get about rules. It wasn't rocket science for Pete's sake. First years weren't allowed they're own broomsticks just as they weren't allowed to play for their House team. Lily shook her head, still smiling before turning back to the tall figure of her hopefully soon-to-be Captain.
"Great. Now we've determined that all you people remaining are actually eligible to be on my team, we'll find out if you're good enough. As you all know, these four people standing next to me were on the team last year, and at least the two years before that too. You may probably guess that they are pretty darn good. However, the RULEBOOK says that everybody has to win their place on this team and for once I happen to agree, God help me."
Lily rolled her eyes, as almost every girl in the stands giggled at the boy's admittedly sexy lack of respect.
"This means that they will be defending their positions alongside all you newcomers who fancy trying to steal it from them. Any position is therefore up for grabs if you think you're better than they are, not just the vacant places of chaser and beater. Everybody clear? Wicked. Let's get moving."
Ten minutes later, the aspiring hopefuls had been narrowed down to under twenty, after James first order was to have each of them attempting four simple laps of the pitch. Simple being the probative word. Over five were off only seconds after getting into the air, the other ten hadn't lasted much longer. By the end of the test only the original members, Lily, a few fifth and sixth year boys, a group of giggling younger girls and one girl who looked very very tiny indeed, remained. Lily had been quite shocked at the level of incompetence some of the unsuccessful aspirants had shown, but the resigned look on both James and the rest of the teams face showed that this was nothing new.
The next step was to sort them by means of the role they wanted to play. Unsurprisingly, Chaser was by far the most popular. Jamie's intimidating combination of flexing huge muscles and a wide, challenging smirk, had successfully put off anyone who had briefly fancied becoming the next Gryffindor Keeper, and apparently Jenny had used similar tactics. Whatever the means, nobody answered when James called out for anybody desiring to try for seeker and Jenny had made her sensual way over to where Jamie now slouched in the stands, to observe to rest of the Trials with a wide-eyed innocent smile.
Twenty minutes into the Tryouts, only the positions of Beater and Chaser were under dispute. The wannabe Beaters were first to go under the hammer and Lily could in all honesty say she pitied the group of fifth and sixth years that Sirius was eyeing so contemptuously. Most were wise enough to treat the black haired Adonis will all the respect he unconsciously expected, but one young jock had apparently decided that he wanted to die, and therefore was antagonising his seventh year rival at every possible moment.
Lily watched nervously as the casually good-looking yob shoved into her friend as they made their way to pick up one of the ten or so wooden clubs the beaters used in practice. Sirius' breathtaking eyes narrowed into slits as the foolish boy then deliberately picked out his favourite bat, going so far as ignoring the name 'Sirius Black' that was etched into the heavy oak.
It was stupid and pathetic but Lily could see by the almost demonic glint in those dark purple eyes that the petty tactics were succeeding to rile the school heartthrob, and for David Saunders own sake, she wished he'd stop. Sirius had not gotten onto the team by being James' best friend. He was a demon with the Beater Bat, a deadly combination of both strength and impossible accuracy. And more importantly, the angrier he got, the more both qualities increased.
It was therefore with growing fear that Lily watched with the other seven girls who wanted the Chaser position, as James ordered the young men to split into pairs. The anger had completely disappeared from Sirius' face now, instead there was a lurking smile in the back of his glinting eyes that worried Lily all the more. James seemed to notice it to, and visibly hesitated as Sirius walked nonchalantly over to David and casually asked him if he fancied being his partner.
David eyes lit up in stupid smug pride, and he puffed out his chest before saying with loud cockiness, that carried to the ears of everyone present.
"See you already recognised your biggest threat, huh. Sure I'll play with you, Black, and I'll even wish you luck. You'll need it."
He turned around, oblivious to the team's aghast faces and mounted his broom with exaggerated speed. Sirius merely watched him for a second before picking up his own ebony broomstick, the softest smile hovering on his lips. A couple of the girls next to Lily giggled, sighing over one of their idols rare, gentler expressions, but Lily bit her lip all the harder, and for a mad moment she contemplated running across to her darling and attempting to reason with him. But he'd never listen. Not now, not in this humour.
Then a massive sigh of relief escaped her anxious lips. James had obviously noticed the warning signs as she had and she smiled as he clapped his best mate on the shoulder, to the world to wish his brother good luck, but discreetly used the moment to whisper in Sirius's ear. Sirius turned to his friend and raised a single, perfectly shaped eyebrow, his eyes cold and mocking. More words, harsher this time, Lily could tell by James' face. The pause was heavy and long, but then, eventually, the shaggy black head nodded in acquiesance.
Suddenly those blue-black eyes locked on hers and it took a moment for her to recover from the surprise enough to send him an equally pleading glance. But Sirius just threw her an impish wink, before bending his muscular legs and kicking smoothly off from the ground.
They were all in the air now, waiting for the Bludgers. The Quidditch set had been brought out and the iron balls charmed so that they would keep only to one of the three pairings. Even after James' talk Lily couldn't help but bite her lip nervously. Sirius was her darling and she adored him more than almost anyone in the world, but she also knew better than most his terrible temper. It was ironic really, she supposed; to the entire school population Sirius Black was the 'Ice-Man', cold, mocking, and contemptuous of the world in general. He didn't waste time or emotions on anybody other than the Marauders and herself. His rare bouts of black fury were therefore one of the boy's best-guarded secrets, especially nowadays; the last one she could remember had been before she'd started going out with James. Lily had never found out what had happened to provoke this sudden change in her friend, the boy's never spoke of it. But ever since, the Black temper had been kept on a very tight leash. It worried Lily that this was the angriest she'd seen her darling in years.
The Bludgers were released, one at a time, rocketing into the air, gaining speed before finally beginning their first attack. The first pairing seemed reasonable, but nothing outstanding. Both boys succeeded in protecting themselves from the onslaught, but neither seemed capable of using the Bludgers against their partner. Lily's gaze moved on.
The second group was far more interesting. The pair was comically matched,. One was a giant of a guy with a right arm that rather resembled that of a gorilla; the other was a slim, compact boy with light brown hair and very dark blue eyes. Lily watched the boy with growing curiosity. Compared to his partner, the kid looked a complete weed, he was barely hitting the thing for Merlin's sake, only playing defensively like the first two, and Lily had almost dismissed him completely, when suddenly the boy moved the bat from his right hand to his left and dealt the incoming Bludger such a punishing blow towards his not-concentrating partner, that Lily could hear the crunch of iron breaking bone from her place in the stands.
The trials halted as the gorilla felt twenty foot to the grass below, clutching his broken jaw that was hanging horribly limp. All attention was upon the injured; only three people fixed three swift looks of new respect at the fifth year who was hovering quietly in the same spot above the mayhem. The boy was swiftly carried to the hospital wing but Lily didn't watch the group go. Even from that distance, she recognised all too well that look in James' eyes, that fierce hawk-like mixture excitement and hesitation. The guy was very very good, and Lily, James and Sirius all knew it, as did the boy himself. But over all three there was also a strange disquiet. In the last fifteen years, only one other person had ever deliberately injured another player that badly during a Try-Out, and even Lily remembered the uproar it had caused. Some teachers had demanded that Sirius Black be forbidden from ever touching a beater's bat ever again, but the incident had finally been declared an accident and Sirius been allowed onto the Gryffindor team.
James made no comment and merely indicated for the boy to land and stand with the others who had already flown. The final team to fly was the one that every one had been waiting for; new against old, cocky against quiet confidence. The fear crept back as Lily watched that silky smile softly curve her friend's lips. The light was back in his eyes, tinged with a new excitement that the last group's incident seemed to have provoked. Lily could tell he was remembering his own second-year try-outs and the bullying sixth years face when the deceptively pretty twelve-year-old boy had shattered his arm with one perfect hit.
Then the shaggy head turned and Sirius met James' eyes in one long look, before the Bludger zoomed gleefully from it's captivity towards it's next victims. It shot towards Saunders first, drilling faster and faster like a bullet towards that self-satisfied grin until the boy's arm flew upwards and hit it as hard as possible towards his black-haired opponent who hovered so nonchalantly before him.
The hit was strong and sharp and Lily, despite herself, had to be impressed. She gasped as the iron cannonball rocketed towards her friend's handsome head, screaming inwardly as he made no move to even intercept it. What was he doing?! He could be hurt, worse; killed! Damm you Sirius, DO something!!
The twenty or so people in the stadium held their breath, staring uncomprehending as still he refused to move, still did nothing except from smile that same soft smile. What was he thinking. Every pair of eyes except one was fixed on the boy or the racing Bludger, that every second was getting closer to the boy's head. But James' full attention was on Saunders; Saunders who was already gloating, Saunders who already believed he'd won, Saunders who, unless he lifted that bat fast, was about to feel the true meaning of pain. Damm you, Sirius, DON'T!!!
And then suddenly, the most unexpected sound echoed across the silence. Laughter. The richest, gayest, most gorgeous shout of mirth escaped from Sirius' throat as suddenly his entire torso was thrown back so that it was parallel to his broom, while at the same time his right arm descended and then swung back over his head in a breathtaking movement akin to a tennis serve. Lily could only gasp as all at once every once of that built-up whiplash was thrown into the iron ball as it soared over the boy's head only to be met with the club in it's full ascent. The entire thing was timed to a staggering perfection. The wooden bat let out a huge CRACK as it split in two under the incredible pressure, and the Bludger was sent back at the speed of sound to smash into Saunders broom handle, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
Both players landed amidst staggering applause, Saunders' face was redder than a tomato and James grinned proudly at his brother who had so beautifully defended his spot on the Quidditch Team. But Sirius remained coolly unmoved; his brown hand dropped the destroyed bat, only to sweep his glossy hair out of his eyes with an arrogance that only he could make so devastatingly attractive. Only when he turned to his defeated partner did he permit himself one small smile of contempt before strolling over to the stands with all his customary elegance.
On his way though he paused, meeting Lily's eye with a mischievous gleam as he mouthed
"Beat that."
And Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head before turning back to James who was calling for silence.
"This year's Gryffindor Beaters will be…Sirius Black and Karl Quigley!!!"
Lily applauded enthusiastically for her obnoxious friend and the slim, blue-eyed boy who'd broken his partner's jaw. But inside, she was already panicking. The trials for the position of beater were over; now it was her turn.
"Chasers Line UP!" James voice was sharp and to the point, the underlying mockery invisible to all but Lily. She snarled under her breath, hating him for enjoying this so much and so obviously. All seven girls moved forward at once, some of the younger ones fighting for the place directly in front of the admittedly very sexy Quidditch captain. Lily found herself shoved to the side and her anger grew as her nemesis' smirk visibly widened, all the time still refusing to look at her. She was last in the line, partially hidden behind a big, rather brutish looking sixth year who could have been the twin sister of the gorilla guy from earlier. Eying the girl's right arm with caution, she peeked carefully around the imposing form in an attempt to force James to acknowledge her flashing eyes and angry glare. Both increased as she realised he was altogether to occupied in looking at somebody else.
"Amanda, if you please."
Spinnet's teeth gleamed like matched pearls as she flashed a dazzling smile at her handsome Captain. She moved forward to stand at his side and Lily felt her own teeth grind together rather loudly. They made a stunning pair, and it infuriated her no end. Amanda was a good few inches taller than the seething redhead, and when she stood at James' side his appreciative eyes just brushed the top of her honey-blond head. Her eyes were a cool grey, and in every place where Lily was small and sprightly, Amanda was unfairly tall and willowy, and the deliberate easy grace extended to her performance on the Quidditch Pitch.
Nicknamed 'The Dancing Swan', she had been James main partner and foil for the past three years, the strong and stable second to his flare and genius. Ever since fifth year, bets had been made that the two would end up married one day; they were Hogwarts' dream couple and simply looking at the pretty pair turned Lily a vivid shade of green.
"The final part of your trial will take place as a little game of two-on-two. A session of short, five minutes mini-matches where the aim is to score as many points as possible, preventing the other team from doing the same. Once every team has played each once I'll make my decision. Any questions?."
One giggling girl put her manicured hand up, and her cheeks blusher pink even under the copious amounts of shimmer and rose.
"But we're only seven, does that mean one of us will have to play with you?" her excitement was barely veiled and Lily found herself rolling her eyes for what seemed the thousandth time.
"Indeed it does. » Lily inwardly snorted at the look of pitiful anticipation on the girls face. Anyone possessing even one more lonely neuron like this girl could tell that James was only messing with her.
On clue, his perfect curved into the sweetest smile ever to grace the human visage, before replying with wicked relish.
"Amanda Spinnet, whom I'm sure you all know, will be my team-member."
The disappointment on every girls face was ludicrous, and Lily watched the git struggle to keep back the mocking, smirk of mischief.
"Right, now that's settled, I want everyone to get into pairs and into line. Try to pick someone of roughly your own age and size, and remember this person is now your team-mate, your partner. You need each other to get through this so backstabbing of any kind is a pointless exercise."
Lily found herself one of the two remaining people without partners, which in all fairness, was hardly surprising as the other four girls had come in twos anyway. She eyed the dark-haired very very small girl in front of her with justifiable wariness. The girl was a midget, even compared to Lily's lack of inches. But then who was she to judge by appearances.
Lily held out her hand to the girl, who shocked her by simply scowling back at her and turning back towards James. The kid was damm lucky she was obviously only a second year, Lily thought angrily. Stupid brat. If she went around doing that she'd soon get another thing coming. Not everyone had the same small disadvantage of being Head Girl and therefore the obligation to be universally kind and considerate. Lily shook of the homicidal thoughts impatiently. Focus Lily, she had to work with this brat whether she liked it or not. Come on. For her parents. And for Moniqua.
The first match was Lily's team against the two fourth year girls, and quite honestly, Lily thought in exasperation, these two airheads shouldn't be anywhere near a Quaffle. Hand-eye coordination was quite simply zero. The brown-haired girl had dropped the red ball three times already through sheer giggling, and her blond team-mate wasn't much better. Lily and the tiny second year massacred them, scoring seven times in five minutes, though the triumph was somewhat lessened by the lack of skill in the opposing team.
Their second match was marginally more difficult. One of the pair of sixth years, the gorilla girl, had actually played before, and managed to score twice before the whistle blew, declaring Lily and Gwenog the easy winners at six points to two.
Lily couldn't but be impressed but her diminutive team-mate. Even to her inexperienced eyes, the scowling black-haired girl seemed to have a rare talent for the game, a natural feel for the Quaffle, and love for speed and complicated manoeuvres that both stunned and confused their opponents numerous times. Youth alone was her weakness at the moment. Gwenog was still rash and often stubborn, her natural flair had obviously made her cocky, and Lily could well imagine her being a little difficult to work with in a team. She tended to hog the Quaffle in an attempt to show off instead of passing to a team-mate in a better position. All in all, raw, uncontrolled talent.
She also wasn't happy to be paired with Lily, that much was obvious by the way the dark, sullen eyes remained fixed on the massacre above during the entire wait for the match to finish. Lily sighed and followed the girls lead. Quite frankly, if the girl didn't want to talk to her, she saw no reason in forcing the issue. Not when there were other, more important things to be doing, such as watching James Potter fly.
Even now, after all those months, there was still something about him on a broomstick that made her feel the need to swoon like every other silly fan girl. It was effortless. Boy and broom forged into a single glorious being that ruled the skies, unchallenged. Every movement was faster than the eye could see, every twist and turn sharp as a knife. He was unmatched and he knew it, but unlike Lily's young team-mate, he was intelligent enough to know that genius and talent would never fully suffice. James had matured from the young star anxious to show-off at every chance he got, into a Captain whose tactical brain rivalled his skill in the air. Even against the poor fourth years, he worked with Amanda as though it was a championship game, synchronised and smart, both using each other's strengths to conquer rather than trying to bask in personnel glory.
Lily could only smile with soft admiration and affection. Whatever else had happened between them, he was still the most breathtaking Quidditch Player she'd ever seen.
She was snapped out of her daydreams as the two teams landed and dismounted. The scores weren't mentioned, but from the girls' red-rimmed eyes and flushed cheeks, James had shown them no mercy. Andd he would show her even less.
Lily felt her heartbeat stutter as he stepped forward and, for the first time that day, looked her dead in the eye.
The challenge in those gorgeous pools of gold was open and mocking. This was when it really started, the reason they'd been playing with the fourth and fifth years for the last ten minutes. They both wanted this match, the next battle in the ever-ongoing war. And like period duellists they acknowledged their opponent, with appreciative smirks.
Fuck that damn girl, that outfit had be illegal. How was he supposed to concentrate on grapping the Quaffle when all he wanted to do was grab HER, her and certain very appetizing bodily parts that those skin-tight clothes were currently showing off to very good advantage. Easy James, control man, control the hormones. The deep breath helped, the desire lessened slightly until it was safe to look at her without risk of jumping her there and then. He allowed his eyes to rake over her entire body, a lazy smirk hovering on his lips. Hey, if she wanted to cheat via use of her womanly assets, he sure as hell wasn't going to complain. Plus it was fun watching her get all ruffled as he deliberately lingered on her bloody gorgeous behind, and those deliciously long, toned legs. His inner mischief sparked as her eyes flashed, and so he did the one thing that would infuriate her even more. He winked at her.
Bloody arrogant, infuriating arsehole! The effort it took for Lily to force the smirk back onto her face after that wink was huge. But there was rueful appreciation there too, he'd looked darn fine she admitted, licking her lips unconsciously. Even better up close. And the leather… Lily felt herself go weak at the knees as her finally could finally feast on that most perfect body, encased in that thick black protective suit. Just looking at the way his muscles seemed to ripple like Indian ink, hmmm, Lily cool feel her mouth watering. Suddenly a movement caught Lily's eye and she focused over James' shoulder to see Jenny's' dazzling smirk gleaming impishly at her. She raised a cynical questioning brow and her friend answered by cracking an imaginary whip, before nodding towards the oblivious Quidditch Captain with a knowing look and a very descriptive lick of the lips.
All at once Lily felt her cheeks flush, and she bit her lips as images flooded into her mind that certainly shouldn't be there, especially not when she was preparing to challenge the object of these fantasies to a match, and DEFINITELY not when he was looking at her in that infuriatingly arrogant way as though he knew exactly what she was thinking, and was inwardly saying 'whenever you want, Red.'
But God, would he look good with a whip, or better yet…handcuffs,…NO!!!!! No, no, NO!!
Lily wrenched her thoughts back to the the task in hand, away from the sexgod in front of her and force herself to concentrateon the five minutes of Quidditch she was about to play. Possibly the most important five minutes of Quidditch of her life.
They faced each other, all teasing gone for the moment, eyes locked on one another, burning with matching determination. The four players mounted their brooms. The whole stadium had somehow sensed that this match was different, this wasn't just strictly business anymore, this was personnel. This was war.
Four players kicked off at precisely the same time, shooting into the air like bullets and then the Quaffle was thrown and they were off.
Lily watched the red ball rise and then fall as if the whole things was in slow motion. A split second later she was zooming towards it, hand outstretched, a triumphant smile already on her lips as the tip of one finger brushed the red leather an she imagined herself scoring the first goal against James and Amanda's team all day.
Then it was gone. Lily blinked, wondering if her eyes had tricked her, when suddenly James' mocking grin zoomed up from underneath the Nimbus' broom handle and over her head, the Quaffle firmly under his right arm. Lily felt like screaming as she whirled the Nimbus around and chased him down the pitch. Stupid! Stupid! Both Sirius and Jenny had warned her about that trick, one of James' favourites. Soaring directly below the player, hiding from view before cutting up and over in a stunt that often caused his opponent to fall from his broom. Right! Her turn now, if only Gwenog would work with her.
Lily caught the black-haired girl's eye and nodded towards Amanda, who was heading at top speed to support her Captain. For Lily's plan to work, Amanda needed to be distracted. Gwenog glared at her for a brief moment, but then to Lily's surprise, zoomed towards the blond girl and cut straight across her, again and then again, to chasers increasing annoyance. She couldn't go anywhere! The midget was infuriatingly fast and was managing to keep her from heading after her team-mate and scoring their first goal. Damm the brat.
James could see the shining goalposts ahead, winking cheerily at him in the morning sun, old friends after all the years. It would be easy to simply score, there was no keeper, and both Evans and the midget couldn't hope to keep up with him. All her had to do was get a little more speed, and then a quick, insultingly simple throw through the middle hoop. Childs play.
Which was unfortunately the problem. It was so easy it would be pathetic, and James goal wasn't to win; his heart was pounding in his chest, the adrenalin rushing through his veins because he wanted to crush her. Winning couldn't satisfy the battle lust. It had to be complete utter humiliation. He would not lower himself to that throw. He would show the bitch, exactly why he, James Potter, was the best Quidditch player in the school. He would annihilate her.
Which was why he was letting Amanda take this one, to show off one of their favourite moves, a feint where he would pretend to aim at the left hand hoop, when in reality, Amanda would cut across, snatch it from the air and pound it through the right-hand one. Simple but deadly. And rather impressive he smirked to himself. His sharp hearing picked up the sound he'd been waiting for, the rush of air about ten meters behind his left shoulder that could only belong to a broomstick. His grin widened, she was perfectly placed, on the Quidditch pitch he trusted her like as he trusted his right hand, and, supremely confident, he lobbed the ball out to the left and smirked as, right on queue, the girl shot across and grabbed the red leather one hand, her copper ponytail spraying out like dancing flames behi…WHAT THE FUCK?!!!!
James could only gape in horror as Lily soared past him, her gleaming grin of triumph visible even at her growing speed. Reflexes and reflexes alone saved James at that moment, and his body moved of it's own accord, pushing his Nimbus into top gear in a sharp U-turn, while his mind still blankly tried to register what had happened. That bitch had deliberately used one of his favourite moves against him, damm her for being one step ahead of him! Anger spurred James faster, he flattened his torso entirely against the broom, reducing friction as much as possible, pushing his speed to the next level; he was nearing one fifty now, and she was still ahead. But he was gaining on her. Just a bit more speed, he snarled, and he could cut ahead of her to guard the goalposts. Come on, faster dammit.
He was gaining, she was only five or so meters ahead now. Three. One. They were neck and neck, bolting towards the golden hoops in a strange race that somehow both had to win, because whoever lost would have to submit first.
Lily's chest was heaving, her emeralds eyes streaming tears from the whiplash of the wind as she pushed the broom past one seventy, tears that never touched her cheeks but flew straight back into the air left behind her. But she was so close and so was he. She could see the glinting goalposts, feel his body heat radiating across the left side of her body as he drew level. Then she gasped, as, in panic and frustration he did something that was so unexpected and so low, she could only gape in shock.
"Come on Lils, let me win, just this once." The wind tore the words to tatters almost as soon as they left his mouth, but she still heard. And in that breathtaking final moment, she couldn't but look around to meet his eye in aghast horror as he used her old nickname for the first time in an entire year.
He always used to say that, every time they'd played chess, because he was hopeless at the game, and in the whole month they were together she'd never lost once. Now the memories tore at her heart strings and the loss of concentration made her slow her pace infinitesimally.
A moment later, he was cutting across her and she was forced into another direction, but somehow she didn't know if she really cared anymore. The throw to Gwenog was weakened by hurt, and Amanda seized on the chance and snatched the red ball out of the air. The blond, still angry from the other teams near success, shot towards the goalpost, determined to beat the brat and the bitch. Nearer and nearer. She brought back her arm and…
PHEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!! The whistle pierced the morning air and Amanda spun round to gape at her Captain holding the small metal object to his lips. He had just ended the match thirty seconds earlier, and he'd stopped her from scoring!! The match was a draw!! Nil-Nil!! What was he thinking?!! NO!!
All four players landed amidst the stunned remaining people on the ground. They all stood waiting for an explanation and a conclusion to the test. Who had won? Why was the game stopped?
Then James stepped forward, his face suddenly grim and harsh, and his voice when he finally spoke was filled with self-disgust.
"I award the victory to Miss Evans and to Miss Gwenog Jones, due to the disqualification of the opposing team."
They could only stare. James was disqualifying his own pairing? What..?
"I am ashamed to say that during the match, I was provoked enough into insulting my opposing player, in such a way as to distract her from the goal in hand. All I can offer is my sincerest apologies to both my team-mate and Miss Evans. I think we can all assume that the goal in question would have undoubtedly been scored had I not used this despicable tactic, therefore it can only be considered fair to call the scores so; 1-0 win to the team of Evans and Jones."
He hesitated before finishing softly, eyes fixed on only one person, one person who was now a rather pretty shade of pink.
"I really am very...very...sorry
The was a silence before suddenly one person applauded, then two and then everybody started clapping, all at once. The applause echoed around the stadium and Lily felt herself flush with pleasure…until she realized they weren't applauding her.
"Well said, James! That's our Captain!"
"Isn't he noble?? And gooorrgeous."
"Good call, mate. Don't worry, it happens to the best of us."
Lily could only stand rigid as the despicable git was engulfed by hugs and claps on the back and swooning girls. Her hands were clenched into tiny fists, her eyes were flashing emeralds. How dare he!!! Argh!!!! Stupid, manipulating, calculating, bastard!!!
James finally managed to catch the redhead's eye as he extracted himself from numerous grips with some difficulty. She was absolutely seething, he laughed despite himself. There was almost steam coming out of her ears; she had always managed to look perfectly adorable whilst having one of her temper tantrums; And it truly wasn't his fault, a fact he tried to convey via the means of a comically helpless shrug and look. He'd apologised. It wasn't his fault they now decided they loved him all the more. Though it was rather funny. Despite his best intentions, James' gleam of mischief broke through and he couldn't help it, a wicked grin escaped and proceeded to further infuriate the livid redhead. James sighed as she folded her arms, stuck her nose in the air and started to march indignantly away, and quickly called for silence.
"Ok, can I have everybody's attention please."
James smirked as Lily paused in mid-stride, obviously torn between her anger and her strong desire to know who had made the team. He continued, the smirk widening, as she turned unwillingly around.
"I have made my decision as to whom will be this years Chasers, and though the choice was a little difficult, I'm sure you'll all agree that at the end of the day, two people flew better than all the others." He paused, drawing out the moment, still grinning wickedlly.
"First off, I congratulate Amanda Spinnet for successfully retaining her spot our the Gryffindor Team." The crowd clapped enthusiastically as the willowy blond moved forward to shake the Captain's hand, albeit still looking a little disgruntled. She moved to join Jamie, Jenny, Sirius, and Karl, and James finally lifted his hand once more for silence.
"And finally...the newest member...to our Team is…Lily Evans."
For a long moment there was only stunned silence, when suddenly Jenny let out a sparkling cheer and Sirius lazily started clapping his beautiful hands together. The applause grew, and almost in a dream, Lily moved forwards towards the boy who was now her captain.
His brown hand was large and strong as it wrapped around her trembling fingers. The sudden warmth gave her the courage to finally lift her gaze to his face, biting her lip and flushing slightly as all eyes stared her way. His expression was grave, and serious, and in the back of those liquid eyes lingered an defensive apology, that brought a soft smile finally to her face. His grip on her hand tightened and his lips begun to whisper the word
"I'm Sorr..."
When suddenly Lily found herself gasping for breath in Jenny's bone-crushing hug. Jamie's voice could be heard congratulating her enthusiastically and even Sirius honoured the occasion by sending her a small, discreet wink and a handsome affectionate smile. Lily felt her heart swell with happiness. She'd done it. She was on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Moniqua would be so proud, as would her parents wherever they were. Walking on air she allowed herself to be dragged away by a loudly screaming Jenny as she called for Emily and Alice to be fetched immediately to celebrate, 'Girl-Style'. It was time to PARTY!!
James watched them go, a lone figure leaning by the exit to the Stadium, beautiful and still as a marble statue. There was no expression in those hazel eyes, other than a slight self-mocking sneer, as the school's Golden Boy reflected on the irony of life. He couldn't deny the feeling in his stomach anymore, the strange flutters and jolts that like it or not, showed all to well the supreme pleasure he was desperately trying to hide. It was pathetic really, he thought cynically, already he couldn't repress the excitement at the thought of them spending more time together, flying together once more for the first time in twelve long months.
The last flash of her copper head disappeared from sight, and finally the faintly bitter smile was allowed to escape, and his voice was low and ruefully affectionate as he murmured the soft, proud words
"Well done, Lils."
Sorry, no time or energy for long goodbyes lol, so please
R&R!!!!!!!!!!!
PS: I luv u guys!! :D :D :D