A/N: WOW it's been a long time! Sorry for the delays, as per always, tons of schoolwork and other life things but hopefully you can forgive the wait because there are many, many things to come in this story! As always, thank you so much for reading, and don't forget to review! Those reviews are what keeps us motivated to write more! You guys are fantastic.
- M
"And another thing," James huffed, running his hands through his hair with more vigor than normal as we walked down the hall. "Summers has the nerve to talk about our strategy when Ravenclaw hasn't won a match against Gryffindor for the past twenty-five games — "
"Wow, you've counted?" I interrupted, smirking.
" — and half of the team doesn't know a quaffle from a bludger," he continued without stopping. "It's a complete load of old bollocks."
I tried to stifle a laugh, but could barely contain my smile. He turned and looked at me, his face slightly falling.
"I'm being thick, aren't I?" He mumbled, running his hands through his hair again, looking down dejectedly.
"James, you can't let him get to you!" I smiled, putting my hand on his shoulder. Instantly, his head turned to look at my hand, the tips of his ears turning red. Immediately, I drew back, awkwardly smoothing my skirt while I felt my own face begin to redden. Quickly, I continued. "I mean — he's trying to rile you up. Make you second-guess yourself. Everyone knows that you alone are more talented than his entire team put together — "
James' face turned a beet red, matching his ears. I winced, realizing that my babbling wasn't making our conversation any less awkward.
"I — er — what I'm trying to say is, no one can dispute that Gryffindor has talent. That's — you'd have to be mad to think that. But what Ravenclaws rely on is their strategic ability. He's trying to make you think that they can outwit you, out-strategize you. If you begin to believe that, your entire team will begin to second-guess itself and that makes you much less of a threat."
There was a pause, while James looked ahead contemplatively. Then he turned to me, a huge grin on his face, and with an unmistakable note of pride in his voice, asked, "You really think I'm more talented than the entire Ravenclaw team?"
I rolled my eyes, and elbowed him in the side. "Don't be a prat. I only meant — "
Smiling, James began to whistle, his pace slowing as he began to round the corner.
"Wait, where are you going? I thought you were heading back to the common room? It's nearly midnight." I called after him as we began to go off in separate directions.
"Why, will you miss me?" He called back before turning and running down the hallway. "I've just got to check on some things, I'll be back in a bit. Don't forget, we've got rounds tomorrow night!"
I wasn't aware of how broadly I was smiling until I pushed open the entrance to the common room and felt my face fall. Remus sat on one of the armchairs, his legs pulled around his chest, and he looked straight ahead, a troubled expression on his face. He turned his face towards me, and attempted a smile, but it was clearly half-hearted and forced.
"Hi there," I said cautiously, not wanting to scare him off. "What's going on?"
He shrugged, attempting to appear casual. "A bit of the same, really. Essays, exams... I haven't felt quite well lately."
"Queasy from riding broomsticks, perhaps?" I snarked, biting back a smile. He paled, and looked at me for a moment, before forcing a short laugh.
"No, I...just need a bit of chocolate, that's all," he sighed, lying back in the chair. I looked at him for a moment. His hair was stuck up at the ends, like his head had been resting against the chair for hours on end, though his eyes had dark circles beneath them (a look that was, unfortunately, becoming quite common for Remus.) He looked at me, bracing himself for my questions, but I hesitated. He looked tired, and honestly, I was tired too. I was tired of asking him questions, tired of trying to get him to see how important it was that he and Sirius talked to each other, tired of seeing him miserable and tired. So, without a word, I turned and walked up the stairs to the common room, collapsed on my bed, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
By the time I awoke to someone shaking me, dawn had already begun to peek out from beneath my window. Immediately, I jumped up for bed, thinking that I had overslept and that Marlene was telling me that I had missed my Transfiguration exam review class. However, when I looked around to see that everyone else in the room was still soundly asleep, and that Marlene herself was standing in front of me in her Quidditch uniform, I realized that it was only Sunday.
"What's — huh?" I croaked, my voice still groggy. I rubbed my eyes a few times, and squinted. "What time is it?"
"It's 8 o'clock," she replied with an apologetic grimace. "I'm so sorry, Lily, I didn't want to wake you, but you slept through post yesterday, and I wanted to make sure that I gave you a letter that you received before I left for Quidditch practice."
"Er...okay. Thanks," I said thickly, taking the letter as she held it out to me. With a quick wave, she bolted out of the door, broomstick in hand, leaving me to stare blankly at the envelope in front of me. It took me a moment to recognize the handwriting, but when I did, I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was Alice!
Quickly, I ripped open the envelope and returned to my bed, opening up my curtains to let a bit more of the sun shine through. I yanked the letter from the envelope and began to read hungrily.
Dear Lily,
Thank you so much for all of your letters. I must admit, they've been the highlight of my days. I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to write you back, but we've heard of owls being intercepted left and right these days (amazing, isn't it, that even our letters aren't secure anymore?) and I didn't want to compromise anyone's safety. For that reason, I actually was accompanied to a "post office" of sorts about 50 miles from where we're staying, and had to use one of their owls. Now, there's an enchantment on this letter that keeps it from being opened by anyone but the person to whom it is addressed, but once it's opened, anyone can see it, so I must ask you to please burn this letter as soon as you've finished reading it. I tell you, Lily, it's absolutely mad. But, I'd like to inform you of what's been going on here — at least, I'd like to inform you as much as I can.
Dumbledore was actually the one who told us about David's death. Somehow, he had found out before the Prophet or even three-quarters of the ministry. When he told us, he immediately suggested that, in the interest of our own safety, and the safety of our extended family and friends, we should go into hiding immediately. So, of course, we listened.
I've been completing my coursework from home, with the assistance from Dumbledore, who has been sending me my reading and assignments for each week at every Sunday. While my parents will remain in hiding, Dumbledore has agreed that it is safe for me to return to Hogwarts after Christmas hols, so I will be coming back very soon! I can't wait to see you, Lily — this has really alll been a nightmare.
I wish I could write more, but I'm afraid that it will have to wait until we can talk in person. I was warned that it may not be long before a counterspell is figured out to open letters like this, and I don't want to risk any harm.
Hang in there, Lily. If I can do it, I know that you can, too.
All my love,
Alice
PS- If you'd like to write me back, give your letter to Dumbledore, and he will deliver it with my schoolwork on the next Sunday. It's much safer that way, since it will never leave his sights.
I held the letter in front of my face, unblinking for a few moments. I felt relieved — relieved that Alice was alright, and that I would be seeing her soon, although the unmistakable tone of danger in her letter was disconcerting. Still, I tried not to worry too much about it: if Dumbledore was looking out for them, I felt sure that they would all be alright.
I read over the letter once more, just to make sure that all of the details had soaked into my memory. While the letter wasn't long, just hearing from Alice gave me a sense of reassurance and renewed positivity, and I wanted to make sure that I hadn't missed any important detail, and that I wasn't missing any subtext.
Still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I tip-toed across our dormitory and down the spiral staircase, to the common room. I figured it would be more practical to burn the letter in our larger fireplace than trying to conjure up some fire with my wand — particularly in light of last year, when Marlene caught her curtains on fire trying to boil some water for tea.
When my foot touched the bottom step of the staircase, there was a loud creak, and I immediately realized that I was not the only person in the common room. Sirius, who appeared to have been sleeping on the couch, jolted up immediately, his hair looking nearly as untidy as James'.
"Oh," He said, almost in a monotone. "It's you. Hey, Evans."
"Hi," I replied, striding over to the fireplace before tossing in Alice's letter.
He raised his eyebrow in suspicion. "What was that?"
"A letter," I replied curtly. "What are you doing down here?"
"Sleeping," he answered, gesturing towards the blanket now wrapped around his waist.
"You do realize," I started, sitting in an armchair next to him, "That you have your very own bed, just up those stairs there?"
"What wouldI do without your brilliance, Evans?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.
I rolled my eyes and leaned my elbow on the armrest of the chair. The two of us sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke in a low, quiet voice.
"I know you think I'm a huge prat," He spoke with an eerie calmness in his voice. He glanced over at me, assumably to see if I would protest — but I didn't. He continued. "But you have no idea about anything, Evans, so spare me your judgement."
"I'm not judging you, Sirius," I replied softly. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I don't understand what the hell you're doing, and I don't think you do either. You and Remus have made a bloody mess of something that doesn't need to be. But, I'm not going to tell either of you what to do. You're both intelligent, and even if neither of you wants to admit it, you're both good people."
Sirius stared at me, his jaw slightly unhinged, his eyebrows raised into a look of pure astonishment. After a moment, I rose slowly from the chair and turned to walk back towards the staircase.
"Evans?" He called after me. I paused, and without turning around called back, "Yes?"
"Maybe you ought to take your own advice."
I swirled around to face him. "What do you mean?"
He smirked. "You'll figure it out. You have rounds tonight with Prongs, right?"
My eyebrows knit together. "Yeah, why?"
His smirk grew wider. "No reason. Have fun."
Confused but for some reason embarrassed, I turned back towards the staircase and ran back up to my room to get some sleep before breakfast.
The rest of the day played out somewhat unremarkably, although I did notice that Sirius and Remus were now able to sit at the same table in the Great Hall without one of them making an excuse or feigning ill. In fact, it almost seemed like they were beginning to make progress, when Sirius asked Remus at dinner if he could please pass the salt, and Remus soundlessly complied.
However, the progress appeared to be short lived. After dinner, Remus and I went upstairs to the library to try to get some work done before class the next morning. Both of us were pouring over our Potions textbooks when a conversation at the table next to us became loud enough to hear clearly.
"...it was just so romantic, Anna! There were flowers and a fireplace, and the most delicate sprig of mistletoe."
I glanced over and saw three Hufflepuff girls, who I knew to be sixth years, blatantly ignoring their books for a more interesting conversation. Somewhat annoyed at the distraction, I stared pointedly at my book, hoping to be able to focus on a few somewhat complicated Potions theorem.
"You're just so lucky," My ears perked up as another girl at the table whispered excitedly. "I can't believe you got with Sirius Black!"
I froze mid-sentence, and without moving my head, lifted my eyes to glance at Remus. He froze as well, except for a protruding vein in his neck which I noticed had started throbbing. He blinked a few times, and then looked back at his book. A few seconds passed before he collected up his books and mumbled something about going back to his room to finish studying.
I found studying in the library to be somewhat impossible as the table next to me continued to discuss, in intimate detail, things such as how deep Sirius' eyes were, how perfectly tousled his hair remained at all times, how Sirius Black's jawline was so perfectly curved that, aerodynamically, it allowed him to become an extremely masterful kisser (that last bit wasn't actually said, but you get the idea.)
So, instead of focusing intently on my Potions work, as I had intended, I sort of just stared into space for a few moments. It dawned on me that there was just days until I would be home for Christmas holiday, and even worse, Petunia's wedding. I groaned internally. Honestly, there were few things worse that I could imagine than seeing your estranged sister marry herself off to a total tosser. Even the one detention I had, cleaning the entirety of the Great Hall without magic, seemed gleefully cheery in comparison.
"Ready to go, then?" A familiar voice jarred me, nearly making me jump out of my seat. I raised my eyes and saw James standing there, clipboard in hand, Head Boy badge shining on his chest, clearly prepared to go on rounds. I looked down — I was wearing some old jeans, a t-shirt of a Muggle band my dad saw in concert, and my trainers. To be plain, I was hardly the pinnacle of professionalism.
"Er...not really," I closed my Potions book reluctantly. "Don't we have twenty minutes or something?"
"No...we have about three," James replied, staring at me with a strange expression on his face.
"What?" I asked defensively. I looked down at my clothes, and then back up. "I know, I look awful."
"What? No — you don't, I — you just seem upset about something, that's all," James mumbled, reaching a hand up to his hair in his usual way.
"Oh. Well, I'm not. I mean...I am, but we really don't have time, we should go on rounds." I stammered, shoving my books into my bag.
"Alright, let's go," James replied, starting towards the door.
"No, I should change. I can't go on rounds looking like this," I gestured towards my clothes, which were very blatantly not within the Prefects' dress code.
James shrugged, "You're fine. Here, I'll just take off these — " He took off his robes, his pin, and undid his tie, opening the top few buttons. " — and we're set, yeah?"
I stared at him and thought about protesting, but I was tired, and it was nearly Christmas hols. Surely McGonagall wouldn't mind if we dressed a bit laxly, just this once? Against my better judgement, I agreed, and we set off towards the first hallway to do rounds.
"So, what's got you down, Lily?" James asked, peeking his head into the first classroom we saw to make sure it was empty.
"What? Oh. No, it's — it's stupid," I replied, shaking my head, checking off the first classroom on our clipboard.
"I doubt that," he said sincerely, poking his head into the next classroom. "But if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too."
There was silence for a moment before I blurted out, "It's my sister. She — well she and I aren't exactly...and I wish we were but she just really hates me and I just wish — she's marrying this complete arse just because...I don't even know why. And now I'm going to have to watch her marry this awful man and I just want her to be happy but she absolutely hatesme, James, and I just wish none of this was happening."
Immediately, I felt his arm around my shoulders, and I breathed in deeply. Instinctively, I leaned my head onto his shoulder, and instantly felt his arms around me, pulling me closer, his head resting gently on top of mine.
"Lily, that's not stupid at all. I'm really, really sorry. Although...I doubt your sister really hates you."
I lifted my head, pulling back a bit. "You've never met her, James. How would you even know?"
"Because," He replied with a shrug, "No one could ever hate you, Lily."
For some reason, at once, I felt very happy and very sad. But I managed a small smile, and leaned back against his shoulder. "That's really sweet, James. But you don't know Petunia like I do." I took another deep breath and exhaled. "It's just rubbish, is all. And it's going to be so difficult. My parents are so happy and excited, or at least they're pretending to be. I'm going to have to be pretending, too, I suppose. And that's just so much to take on alone."
Without missing a beat, James spoke. "I'll go with you."
Silence washed over us for just a moment, and then I pulled back to look at him. "You'll — you'll what?"
"I'll go with you to your sister's wedding," He replied. "If — if you want me to, that is. I mean, if you need — or want — some moral support I would be glad — I mean I'd be there for you — "
I cut him off with a tight embrace, and held onto him, breathing in his familiar scent as I felt his fingers trace softly and slowly down my back. I realized then how seriously and truly I had misjudged James Potter for most of my life. And at that moment, there was not a person I could imagine appreciating more.
When we pulled apart, he was smiling broadly, and said, "So it's settled, then. I'll go with you to your sister's wedding?"
And before I had time to think about the words coming out of my mouth, I responded, "It's a date."
