Lily dined at the Slytherin table late that night, Potter's cloak discreetly tucked away under her robes. Her wand, she knew because she checked every minute, was in her pocket.
"Well, time to go meet Davies..." Walsh said giving the boys a look and standing to leave.
"I've got lots of work to do, so I'll see you tomorrow," John told her.
"I'll walk out with you. I'm going back to my common room; I have loads of work as well."
The group of them got up and left. To Lily's truncated frustration, she noticed several people watching them. This was what Potter had been talking about. Oh well too late now...
"Warning," John said after they left the great hall to part directions. She turned around to accept the quick kiss before walking off in the opposite direction. The moment she knew she was out of sight she threw the cloak on over her and turned back to follow them. They stayed together as they walked towards the library.
"Four against one? Aren't I a bit overmatched?" Davies said coolly.
"This isn't a fight, we just want to talk," Walsh said sounding very businesslike.
"Very well, I'm listening."
"I don't know what Evans may or may not have told you, but our team can't practice as one on any day next week but Monday..."
"And Gryffindor has the pitch."
"Exactly. We were wondering if you would be good enough to swap with us with Wednesday."
"Yes, she mentioned it."
"Well?"
"I had a talk to the lads... and they don't think we should give up the pitch."
"I see..." said Walsh, sounding very displeased.
"And I don't want to either, really, but I'm going to anyway..."
"Really?" John said, but with a look from Walsh fell silent.
"Really," Davies said, "You can thank your girlfriend, Michaels."
"I'll thank you," he replied, holding his hand to him. Davies seemed to be impressed with this response, and shook the proffered hand.
"May the best team win next weekend," he concluded, then turned and walked away. The four boys stood there for a minute, watching the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain leave.
"Well that was easy," said Peters giving John a slap on the back. "3 cheers for Evans, eh?"
"Shut it," John said embarrassedly.
"Back to the dormitory at 11. We need to discuss John's owl..."
The group split up and went separate ways. Lily followed silently on the heels of Edmond and John all the way down to the dungeons. Peters gave the password (venom) and they entered, Lily slipping in behind just before the wall slid closed.
It was still 2 and a half hours until they were scheduled to have their discussion in the dormitory. The two boys simply got out their homework and sat at one of the cold looking tables along the stone wall, next to a long green and silver tapestry that was in and of itself very serpentine. Rather than hover behind them, making silent corrections in her head she wandered carefully around the common room, trying to avoid running into people. The Slytherin common room, she thought, wasn't at all what James must imagine it to be, some snake pit in the ground where all the Slytherins slither through each other, hissing and biting each other in some mad, dark, wicked orgy. It was very much like Gryffindor common room, the colours were different and it didn't seem as lively at all, but everyone seemed to be working hard, or chatting easily with friends. She overheard mundane conversations, like who was dating whom, what homework was assigned for which class, general gossip and complaints. Nothing evil or suspect at all.
Lily was ¾ bored out of her skull when Walsh and Nott came in at 11 o'clock exactly. By then most of the common room had emptied, but Ed and John were still working. Walsh gave them a look and both boys closed their books and put them away in their bags.
They didn't say a word until they were all in the boys' dormitory. Lily followed behind closely to make sure she would get in before they closed, the door, but she needn't have bothered. There one other dorm mate was already in bed, reading by wand light. Lily recognized him from Transfiguration, Dan Quayle.
"Out," Walsh ordered to Quayle.
"What? No. This is my dormitory to you can't just..."
"Nott!" he snarled. Nott straightened at the order and approached Quayle's bed. Not even bothering to use magic he lifted him bodily out of his four poster and dragged him out of the room. He returned a moment later, sitting down on what Lily assumed to be his own bed, looking quite pleased with himself. Walsh did not seem to be, he glared at the door, then back to Nott.
"Shut it," he barked. He could have shut it magically, but it was the principle of the thing. He wanted Nott to develop good habits.
"Well?" Walsh asked, the moment the door had been shut and locked. Lily felt uncomfortably trapped...
"They... aren't exactly pleased. I never received it, it must have gotten lost in the post." John said.
"That, getting lost in the post?"
"I don't know, alright?" John said defensively. "It just never got here."
"So we will just have to find another way..."
"Do we have to do Evans?"
"Don't tell me you've actually fallen for your mudblood girlfriend."
Michaels shifted uncomfortably. "But she was reading about the dark arts when I met her. I think she might be interested in..."
"It was probably defence," Walsh countered.
"It wasn't. It was restricted section material. The Darkest of the Death Arts..."
The others looked a bit surprised by this, but it didn't change their minds.
"Even so they would never accept her. She is a mudblood. It's our job to get rid of them, not bring them in..." said Nott.
"But think of how helpful she could be to us! She's Head Girl, not to mention she is by far the most talented in the school..."
"Rumour has it she bested Potter in a wordless duel, and that she doesn't even need a wand to do magic..." Peters said, seemingly convinced with Michaels's argument.
"And I know personally that she creates her own spells! If she were an ally..."
"No. That only means we will have to be even more careful. She is a Gryffindor and a mudblood. Why would she be on our side after we killed her parents? No. We must not go against the dark lord's wishes. All 3 must die."
"Easy for you to say! Yours doesn't have to die. Gasche is a pureblood Slytherin!"
"What can I say? I have excellent taste..."
"Why you..."
"Now do you really want to disobey the Dark Lord? Are your pretty little girlfriends worth it? Worth betraying the greatest wizard of our age? Your master? Worth dying for?"
They sighed and bowed their heads.
"Good," he continued, "so, this weekend in Hogsmeade. You all had better practice, there is no room for another failure," he said, looking pointedly at John and getting up, leaving for who knows where, perhaps his girlfriend's room. The other boys went to their own beds. John brooded for a while.
"He's right you know. We have to do it," said Nott.
John said nothing; he simply rose to the door. Lily knew that she would have to leave before the door was closed, otherwise she would be stuck there all night, or until Quayle came back... She slipped out silently and the door shut behind her. The moment she left the Slytherin common room she sprinted to Potter's office.
James awoke to the sounding someone pounding at his door. He put on his glasses and opened the door to find a very flustered Lily Evans. She was thrusting something at him.
"Take it! Just take it!"
"Take? What are you on about?" He looked at the glass dish she was shoving to him. Something silvery floated in it.
Once he had fully woken up he realized what was going on. Lily had removed a memory and placed it in a small, unused ash tray on a shelf in his office and wanted him to look at it.
"What is it?"
"It's a memory you should see... at once," she said, and proceeded to explain what she had done as succinctly and informatively as possible.
He considered her for a long moment. She had used his cloak and followed them into the Slytherin dormitory to spy on them. He was somehow very angry with her and proud of her at the same time. He repressed the urge to pull her in for hug, instead saying, "Come on. We have to go to Dumbledore. Now."
She nodded in silent agreement. He strode into his room, grabbed his wand and they left together for Dumbledore's office, taking the ashtray with them.
"Sugar Quill," James said to the gargoyle. It moved aside and let them board the staircase that moved upwards like an escalator.
"Ah… Professor Potter and Miss Evans... or perhaps I should say James and Lily?"
"We don't come as Professor and student."
"As I suspected by the looks on your faces..."
"You have a pensieve, yes?"
"I do."
"There is something you ought to see..." he said, handing the headmaster the ashtray with Lily's memory in it. Dumbledore took his time retrieving the pensieve from its place, hidden away in a bottom shelf in his office. He tipped the memory in with the rest of them and looked into the basin, studying Walsh's and John's faces that swirled there.
"Cheers," Dumbledore said lightly, before he leaned over the bowl. The moment the tip of his lengthy crooked nose touched the swirling surface, he disappeared and James followed after him. Minutes later they resurfaced, a grim expression on both faces.
"This is your own memory, Miss Evans?"
"Yes, sir."
"She used my cloak..." James added.
"Yes, of course."
"Who does he mean by 'all three?'"
"I'm almost certain the other two are Shannon Isaacs and Polly Abbot."
"Ah. I see... So, it behoves us to hold another order meeting before this weekend..."
Lily and James left Dumbledore's office after that, with nothing really to say. James felt like he should put his arm around her, but fought the impulse. She might appreciate the gesture, but teachers and disobedient, curfew-breaking students may still be about. Down the staircases, down the corridors they passed the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. James stopped and Lily kept going.
"Aren't you coming in?"
"I can't... I have to feed Mercury."
"Lily."
"I'm going to Hagrid's. That is a fact. You can come with me, or you can stay here."
"You can't ignore it."
"I'm not ignoring it. I'm simply dealing with the more pressing issue... Mercury needs to be fed now. They will still want to kill me when I get back." She said with a sassy sort of indifference.
"Come in. We need to talk about it. I'll make some tea."
"I can have tea at Hagrid's..."
"Evans..."
"Potter, please? I really want to see Hagrid right now."
Not for the first time, James was jealous. Wasn't he good enough? Did she not feel comfortable or safe with him? Yes, he knew that she had Hagrid had been friends for 7 years now, but surely all they had already been through these past few weeks would count for something? She called him James, for Merlin's sake. She never called Hagrid 'Rubeus.'
Despite his frustration, he still couldn't let her go out on her own, so he followed her downstairs and out the front doors, where they met Hagrid and Mercury on the lawn.
"Oh. Hi Lily. Didn't know if you'd still be in the hospital wing..."
"I was just about to come see you... I've been released, so has Frank Longbottom."
"Wonderful."
"Isn't it? You know, I could really go for a cup of tea right now..."
"Course, Lily," Hagrid said pleasantly. "You are looking much better."
"I feel much better!" she said with a wide smile. Potter kept silent.
"Still, been busy weekend for you hasn't it? You need to take it easy and relax. Looking forward to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
"I am," she replied easily. James was shocked. Hadn't she wanted to come over here to seek comfort in Hagrid? Was she only not doing it because he was there? "It's been a while. I need to restock on a lot of things," she added.
"Going with Rupert?"
"No, he's taking Emma."
"Look," James interrupted. "I have some stuff I could be doing up at the castle, so... if you don't need me I'll just..." Bugger off, he finished in his head.
"Alright," said Hagrid, "I don't mind bringing her back."
"Thanks, G'night," he said walking out the door.
"Potter!" she called after him. He stopped and popped his head back in.
"Hmm?"
"Fancy a game of chess later?"
"Only if you feel like losing."
"Don't forget."
"I won't."
"Sure you don't need a Remembrall?"
"Of course not, I'll be there, ready to win," he said. 'Well, even if she'd rather talk to Hagrid than me, she's at least talking to someone... and it's not like she's completely blanking me either,' he thought.
"Can Mercury come inside?" Lily asked once Potter was gone.
"Sure," said Hagrid, reaching over to open the back door without even leaving his seat. Mercury strode in, making the tiny hut even tinier, but all the cosier for it.
James strode back into the castle feeling slightly better about things. Only slightly. Yes, it was somewhat rewarding to have Evans ask him for once to come over instead of him just barging in as he usual did... but the big, worrying problem was still there. There was a group of Death Eaters in Hogwarts, and they wanted to kill Lily. Well... they wanted to kill Abbot and Isaacs as well, and they were equally important, he reminded himself.
When he got back to his office he reread the dossier on the Hogwarts students that were considered potential targets. Lily Evan's name was right there at the top of the list, but Isaacs and Abbot were much further down, in the yellow, only in danger because they were muggleborn. Why all three? Why now? Lily, he somewhat understood. He knew that she had been a longstanding target, even though he didn't know why. The Dark Lord had for some reason singled her out. Then she had escaped him, and perhaps he didn't want to leave a job unfinished. He had tried again, only to fail again, which would probably serve to strengthen his resolve in killing her. That much made sense. Why she was targeted in the first place remained a mystery. Perhaps a random attack on a muggle born and her family... and maybe that accounted for the other two beauties... Or was there some darker meaning there?
How did Voldemort imagine that the boys would get away with murder under Dumbledore's nose? Surely he knew the boys would be caught and sent to Azkaban, but somehow he didn't see Voldemort caring very much about a few youths going to prison. Why go through all that trouble just for 3 girls? Three muggleborns, yes, understandable, but why would Voldemort consider it worth the effort? Perhaps it was a message... to Dumbledore and to Hogwarts, getting rid of 3 people who represented their houses, leaving only Slytherin's. A statement? Wanting to cause of bit of panic and mayhem inside the castle walls? Who knew...
He looked at Lily's file; there was a picture of her clipped to the front. She had been 14, the time of her parents' murder. She hadn't changed much. Well, more womanly, feminine, more beautiful now, but he could tell by the picture that she had always been pretty. Four years had passed since then, and in 4 years from now she would be even more beautiful, though he would scarcely believe it possible he knew it to be true, and couldn't wait to know her for another 4 years.
A camera, he had one around here somewhere. He searched in every single trunk he owned, only finding it, of course, in the very last one. It was about time he updated Lily Evans's profile.
He put various papers in his briefcase, auror work and school work, profiles and essays, and left his office for the head girl's room.
"Vigilance," he told the portrait, but this time it remained shut. "Bollocks..." he hissed under his breath. "She's changed the password. What would it be? She must have already told me somehow, I just need to remember it... What has she said to me today that sounded like it could be a password? What stood out? Think! Remember!" he told himself.
"Chess," he tried, but no luck. "Remembrall?" he tried again, this time with success. The portrait opened and he went in, starting a fire in the fireplace so it would be nice and warm when she got back. The table was as it had been the last time he was there. Books and the chess set, but something else caught his eye. A note seemed to be on the chessboard, one of the castles used as a paperweight. Unable to stop himself from snooping (he told himself it was the auror in him) he read it.
Dear Lily,
Thank you for letting me use your room while Frank was here. I was hoping to see you before we had to leave but you were in class. I hope to see you soon.
Alice Longbottom
Bit boring, but James was not about to chide her for it. He sat down on the couch and placed his work in front of him on the table.
"I've changed the password back to vigilance now," Lily said when she entered nearly an hour later.
"Really? I thought remembrall was a nice change."
"I'm proud of you for getting it."
"You made it pretty clear. I got it on my second try."
"What was the first?" she said plopping down on the couch next to him.
"Chess."
"Ah."
"So, what does Hagrid think about the whole Hogsmeade plot?" James asked.
"I didn't tell him. I couldn't make him worry again. He might storm into the castle and beat them to a bloody pulp before I could finish telling him not to."
'Might not be a bad idea,' James thought.
"That's not why I went over there, either. I just wanted to sit back in a familiar warm comforting place and listen to a familiar, warm, comforting voice."
"I've often been told that my voice is quite melodious..." James said.
"Ha. Yes, I see it now, trying to find reassurance in your cramped uncomfortable office, listening to your melodious voice yell at me."
"I don't yell at you!"
"Um..." she said raising her eyebrows at him. James growled and lowered his voice.
"I don't yell at you... I just have... volume control issues," he mumbled.
"Even so, it just couldn't be the same as Hagrid's. I have so many... calm, stress-less memories there. You have to admit our time together hasn't exactly been hassle free. In fact, it's pretty much been nothing but work or dangerous/painful/stressful situations since I've known you."
"I thought you liked work and dangerous/stressful situations..."
"I love them, thrive on them, but one does need a break from it now and again."
"That's not fair. I don't want you to associate me with stress."
"Not just stress... I also associate you with... cheese."
"Oh excellent," he said sarcastically.
"And flying," she appeased.
"Well that is good!" he said, sounding more satisfied.
"But cheese and flying can't replace a relaxing, warm atmosphere. You can't just sink into cheese or take a nap or have tea cuddled up on a broomstick. It lacks cosiness."
James had to admit this was all true, and made a vow in his head to make more cosy memories with her, then changed the vow for being awkwardly worded, then changed it back again. He liked it that way. He wouldn't admit it aloud to anyone, but he wanted more cosy moments with her. She was in some ways, a very sweet lovable girl, soft and... erm... perhaps he should change it after all... Cuddly? No, that was just as bad. Tender?... No, that was even worse somehow. Relaxing? Yes, that would do. He wanted to spend more time more time relaxing with his friend, Evans. No cuddling or anything...
He sighed... he was terrible, absolutely terrible. That sounded lame and unconvincing even to him...
"We were pretty cosy on a broomstick..." he retorted. What?! Where had that come from! That wasn't supposed to come out at all, he wasn't even thinking that. Damn it, Sirius! He wasn't sure how it was Sirius's fault, but he knew it had to be... It was just like Sirius to say something completely tactless, immoral, inappropriate... and true.
"Oh ha ha..." she said, "Yes, hurtling at high speeds nearly crashing into the lake... Very relaxing..." James sighed. Oh thank Merlin she thought I was being sarcastic...
"Well, we can relax now, and enjoy a game of chess..."
"We aren't playing chess."
"But you said..."
"I said that to get you to come here. We are going to talk about this weekend, of course. I told you I wasn't going to ignore the problem. I want to brainstorm with you before the order meeting. I think we should already have a plan to propose to the rest of them..."
Yes... That was the Lily Evans he knew and lo... erm... the Lily Evans he knew... She had had her little moment of comfort and now she was back in the game.
"Is there any way that magical law enforcement can take them now?"
"With only your memory for evidence? No. Unfortunately, the legal system being what it is, we can't take them for attempted murder until they actually... make... an attempt."
"But they admitted to being loyal to Voldemort!"
"Your memory isn't viable evidence. Memories can be doctored, and especially with you recent medical history..."
"I suppose spending time in St. Mungo's mental ward a few days previous would damage my credibility, yes, I see that. But at least you know now... I mean, that was your job, right? To find out if there are any Death Eaters in Hogwarts? You know the truth, now it's just a matter of proving it."
"Yes, and I can't see a way that will stick. Nowadays it's hard to tell, even in the ministry, who is and isn't on the dark lord's side... "
"You already said a way..."
"Did I?"
"Yes, you just have to wait for them to make the attempt."
"Lily that's not funny."
"I wasn't joking. Let him take me to Hogsmeade, have you and other members following me, when they try, stop them and arrest them."
"No! That is by far the stupidest idea you've ever had! What if they succeed? We don't know how they intend to do it, what if we can't stop them? The killing curse is unstoppable."
Lily sniffed at this. She knew one day she would find a way to repel Avada Kedavra. For the love of her parents, she vowed that none of her blood shall ever die from that curse again...
"I know that, unfortunately," she said. She was getting better. Talking about her parents' murder wasn't as heartbreaking as it used to be. Now she could say things like that without feeling like crying.
James wanted to kick himself. She'd seen it done, of course she knew that. Everyone knew that the killing curse was unstoppable. Why did he feel the need to point out the painfully obvious?
"I'm saying that it's too great a risk to take."
"I think it's too risky not to. If they don't do it in Hogsmeade they will certainly try again, and the next time we might not know when or where. At least we have some advantage here. You said yourself you can't do anything to them without reasonable cause... if they don't do it this weekend then they stay at Hogwarts indefinitely, until they finally do strike. Plus, think of the other girls..."
"Who?"
"Isaacs and Abbot."
"Oh, right."
"They are much safer this way. No matter what happens, if I go to Hogsmeade this weekend, they will be saved. We can keep them from going. If the boys try to kill me and fail, then you put them away in Azkaban for attempted murder, and they won't be able to hurt the other girls. If they get away with it, then you put them away for murder, and they still can't hurt anyone else."
"Don't talk like that."
"Like what? I think it's a pretty optimistic attitude. It's a win-win. Either way, you get an arrest..."
"Optimistic? Win-win? What part of you dying do you see as a good thing?"
"I already told you. You get them on the murder charge and they are locked away and that will keep them from harming anyone else."
"Lily, listen to yourself! Do you know what you are saying? I'm not going to let you risk your life like this."
"So you are going to let the rest of the students at this school unwittingly risk theirs?" she said coolly. "By keeping those boys at Hogwarts, you are endangering them and they don't even know it. I know it. I know the risks I'm taking. Better one girl than 3. Better one student than many. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices..."
"You are not going to be a sacrifice!" he yelled. Honestly, that death smear was out of control. Curse that necklace and whoever put it there...
"What if you succeed? What if they don't kill me? What if you arrest them and no one gets hurt?"
"What if we don't?"
"Then the loss is still worth it. My life for who knows how many others..."
"It's not!" he roared. "There has to be a different way."
"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears..."
Yeah, he had loads of better ideas, like lock her in her dungeons so that no one can get in and she can't get out, then setting Hagrid loose on the Slytherins, for one. But he knew she was right. He couldn't let his nepotism get in the way. Perhaps the order would be able to think of something better... Surely Dumbledore has a plan...
"How about we play a game of chess..." he said.
"Now who's ignoring the problem?" she said, but not accusingly, for she rose to bring the chess set over to them at the same time. She returned with a smile, placing the set in between them on the couch.
"Did you see the note?"
"I did. Bit bland."
"I thought so too. White or Black?"
"Black..." she said with a smile, letting the word drip slowly from her mouth as if it was sweet tasting and wanted to keep it there for as long as possible... as if the word contained some delicious meaning that had nothing to do with the colour of the chess pieces...
James narrowed his eyes at her. Damn it, Sirius, what have you done? He thought. But he was getting ahead of himself, letting Sirius's taunts get to him. He was putting too much thought into the way she pronounced one word. Snap out of it, the world is not conspiring to take Lily away from you...
"I go first then..."
James won again, which Lily didn't really seem to mind. James suspected her mind hadn't really been focused on the game anyway.
"A knut for your thoughts?" he said, not sure if he actually wanted to know.
"I was thinking..." she said as she slid off the couch and under the table, "that I could really go for roasting some marshmallows in the fire." She lay on her stomach, elbows on the ground holding her head in her hands as she stared into the flames.
Yes! Excellent cosy potential...erm... relaxing potential.
"Poppy!" James said. A moment later the house elf appeared with a CRACK.
"Yes, Master Potter?"
"I was wondering if you could bring us some marshmallows, actually... and perhaps some hot chocolate?"
"Of course, Master Potter!" She was gone in an instant and reappeared not even a minute later with a silver tray with two mugs of hot chocolate and a platter with a large pyramid of marshmallows.
"I give it a 10 for speed, and 10 for presentation," Lily said. The house else looked so happy to be thus complimented and blushed.
"Poppy, why don't you join us?" James offered with an approving nod from Lily.
"I... couldn't... I have work in the kitchens..." she said, sounding both amazed and horrified by the invitation.
"Please Poppy? Just one?" Lily entreated. She patted the place between her and James. "Come, sit down."
The house elf's jaw began to tremble and her enormous eyes began to fill with enormous tears, but she thankfully forbore to start bawling then and there. Shakily she approached the place where Lily had indicated and sat down cautiously, putting the tray down in front of her.
Lily conjured some sticks for roasting, and handed one to Poppy and one to James.
"Have you ever roasted a marshmallow before, Poppy?"
The elf shook her head.
"It's simple, put the marshmallow on like so... and hold it just over the fire until it's done... that is to say, until you think it's toasted enough to eat."
"Poppy understands, miss."
"Go on then, give it a go," James said encouragingly.
All three of them held their marshmallows over the fire for roasting as James took a few snapshots with his camera.
"Really gets you in the holiday spirit..." Lily said happily.
"It's not even December," James pointed out.
"It's almost December."
"It's the exact middle of November... the 15th..."
"Are you trying to ruin this for me?" she asked.
'Curse it,' James thought. 'Here we are in a perfectly relaxing situation and I have to start an argument with her. This is why she associates me with unpleasantness. Well, we can't have that, now can we...' In a desperate attempt to save the situation, he did the only thing he could think of doing...
He started singing.
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire... Jack Frost nipping at your nose..."
"Yuletide carols being sung by a choir..." Lily joined in with her own musical voice.
"And folks dressed up..." They carried on quite merrily until halfway through James realised that his marshmallow was now a flaming ball of charred gooeyness. That put and end to the song, but not to the entertainment . The blazing marshmallow incident turned out to be quite a spectacle, ending with James waving his marshmallow stick quickly trying to put it out, only to have hit fly across the room leaving a fiery trail before it splattered against the wall extinguishing itself.
"No, I'll get it Poppy, my fault. You enjoy your marshmallow," James said. Since this was somewhat of an order, she did as she was told. After finishing it, she again said that she had to return to the kitchens and departed.
"Here, take mine," Lily told him, handing him her marshmallow. "It's been roasted to perfection, unlike that overcooked disaster," she said pointing to the once smouldering, now smoking blob on the wall.
"Don't you want to eat it?"
"Not really, I just like making them... Take it." He pinched the marshmallow between his thumb and forefinger, pulling it off and putting it into his mouth, leaving sticky, gummy remains on his fingers.
"Delicious." He said sucking on a finger. "Sure you don't want a taste?" He put his marshmallow covered thumb in her face. He was grinning like a little boy.
'Sucking food off any part of his body would definitely be a bad thing...' Lily thought. She had a no touching policy, after all. Yes, she had broken it Sunday, but it had been for a good cause. Washing his hair had been at least somewhat justifiable. This was in no way shape or form defendable. Did she want to? Yes. Was it foolish and stupid? Yes. Did she have the self discipline to say no? That was questionable. If she thought about it logically, if she wanted a taste of marshmallow all she had to do was pick one off the plate. There was no need for her to...
And yet... look at the way he was smiling. It was a completely harmless gesture, and surely she could innocently accept the offer? It was only a bit of marshmallow and only on his thumb... She could think of several substances less harmless and several places less innocent...
James didn't think she'd actually do it, and was therefore quite (admittedly pleasantly) surprised when she did. Then he felt immediately guilty, for taking pleasure out of the girl's innocence in believing him and taking him up on it... He had used girls much worse than that before... much much worse, and yet somehow this made him feel guiltier than he ever had with anyone else.
'It's because she's your student you great ninny' he told himself. He really shouldn't have done that.
"Hmm... I think it would taste better with hot chocolate..." she said, taking his hand and trying to dip it into her mug.
"What? No! Let go! Gerroff!" he said trying to wrestle his hand back, not wanting to put it into the scalding chocolate. She let go of it laughing and took a drink.
"I'm kidding, I wouldn't actually put your finger into my chocolate. That would ruin the chocolate."
"Never know with you..."
Lily shrugged. "I'm going to change out of these school robes. Not exactly comfortable enough for marshmallow roasting."
She came back from her dorm a minute later wearing flannel pyjama pants and camisole, and wrapped up in some kind of shawl... wrap... jumper... thing.
She sat down on the floor next to him, pulling the 'thing' around her tighter, put another marshmallow on the end of her stick and began roasting again.
They didn't speak.
She finished roasting it and pulled it off, and popped it into her own mouth. She didn't really like it. She decided that would be the only marshmallow she would eat that evening. She put her forefinger in her mouth to suck off the remaining marshmallow, and then held out her thumb to James.
James studied her discreetly for a moment, considering the situation much more than it merited. To suck, or not to suck, that is the question...
What harm could it do? She had done it to him with no catastrophic repercussions.
The last (and only) time Lily felt the touch of James's lips had been when he had pulled her from the lake, and she was in no state to appreciate the sensation. Even though it was just her thumb this time, it still made her feel all tingly and squirmy inside.
"That'd go well with a nice merlot..." James said.
"I didn't know you were a connoisseur of wine."
"Well, I'm not. It just seems like it would be true."
"Well, we have no merlot, so you'll just have to make do with chocolate," she said, letting the wrap fall from her shoulders.
Something of such small import had a remarkably profound effect on James. Perhaps it was because of the marshmallow finger tasting... He shook himself. Two weeks ago he had taken off her blouse without blinking, seen her in only her underwear. A week ago he saw her in nothing but her bathing suit, and now he was getting all worked up over something so... trivial as the removal of one article of clothing.
Thinking about the times he had seen her scantily clad wasn't helping matters. Merlin, he was a terrible person. Surely, wizards went to hell for this sort of thing. If he could control his thoughts, he would, but there didn't seem to be a way to do it.
"Perhaps we shouldn't tell the order," Lily said randomly, mercifully redirecting his thoughts.
"What?"
"Well, say you and McGonagall come to Hogsmeade, then the rest of the order doesn't have to get involved."
"Why don't you want them involved?"
"The aurors... they'd find out."
"As is customary when you tell people things..." James said, not catching on.
"No. I mean, I can't explain myself and how I knew about them without telling them it was you who told me about them in the first place. They'd find out."
"They? Them? Quit using pronouns."
"If we tell the other aurors in the order, they will find out that you told me that you work for the ministry. How else would I have known about Walsh and the others?"
"I see your point."
"But if we don't make this an order affair, then when the time comes you can just tell the ministry you were doing your job. Hard work paid off and all that. If the order members employed by the ministry get involved then not only do you run the risk of letting them know I knew, but also the existence of the order itself."
"So I'm the only one with you into Hogsmeade? Not saying that I'm letting you go, mind."
"You aren't my father, you can't tell me what I can and cannot do. And no, McGonagall can go too, as a cat. And Aberforth Dumbledore will obviously be around, seeing how he works in Hogsmeade. That would be more than enough."
"Enough? Enough for what?"
"For me to feel safe..."