Ugh, sorry I havent updated in time. My internet was spazzing, and being retarded.
Anywho, chapterrrr.... 53? I think so. Ta-da.
"Should we follow her?" asked Izzie, but both Lily and Frank were already out of their seats and running out of the hall after Alice. The others followed close behind, worried and curious as to what was going on, their good mood fading quickly.
"Alice?" called Lily, pushing the bathroom door open slightly, where Alice was standing by the sinks, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"Al, what's going on?" Frank rushed to her side, putting his arms around her protectively and she leant into his chest, the piece of parchment dropping to the floor.
James leant down and picked it up, and his mouth opened in shock as he read it.
"Oh Alice," he sighed, as the others read the note over her shoulder.
Alice darling, I have some very bad news.
Gideon and Fabian, they were on a mission with the auror department, a few days ago, and the worst has happened. I'm afraid they've been killed, by a couple of death eaters.
Alice, I think it's best you stay at school for now, you've got your NEWTs coming up and everything, but Molly and Arthur are going to Hogsmeade to stay with Rosmerta. She's taking this hard, of course.
All our regards.
Mother.
They all gasped softly, and comforted Alice, who smiled weakly up at them.
"I – I can't believe they're dead," she mumbled, as Lily blinked back her tears.
"I know," Frank comforted, "Bloody death eaters,"
"All the more reason for us to become aurors," Alice sighed.
"Definitely," Sirius and James agreed, putting their hands on her shoulders.
"I need to write letters," she said suddenly, as she broke away from everyone around her, muttering to herself and counting on her fingers, "I'm going to the owlery,"
"I'll come with you," Frank said, following her out of the bathroom with an arm around her shoulders.
"Poor Alice," Kathy sighed, as the two of them left.
"I know, it's so unfair," Remus nodded, "They always take the innocent,"
"And Gideon and Fabian were good people," James added, thinking back to his first year when the twin boys were in their last.
"Bloody death eaters," Izzie shook her head angrily.
"I'm not in the mood to go back to the ball," Lily said.
They all mumbled in agreement, making their way to the common room.
"Are you guys going to be aurors?" asked Kathy, and James and Sirius nodded violently.
"Of course!" they said simultaneously, as though it was obvious.
"Remus?" asked Izzie.
"No, I doubt they'd let me be an auror," Remus sighed, "I kinda want to be a teacher,"
"Oh yeah, you'd make a brilliant teacher," Lily nodded, as they came to the common room.
"What about you?" asked James.
"International Quidditch Player," Izzie said, without skipping a beat.
"Erm, I never thought about it before," Kathy said, "But maybe a healer? I dunno..."
"I used to want to be a healer," Lily said, "But recently, I've changed my mind."
"Oh?"
"I'm going to be an auror," she said determinedly, and James grinned widely.
"Go Lily," he smiled, putting an arm around her as they sat together on the sofa, the rain from the storm outside pounding on the window.
"I hate thunder," Kathy shivered, and Remus pulled her closer.
"Look at them two, Remus is acting like the man in the relationship, for once," teased Izzie.
"Oi, I am the manliest," Remus said, throwing a cushion in her direction.
"We should go visit Molly and Arthur, at the next Hogsmeade weekend," James said, and they nodded in agreement.
"Alice's sister?" asked Lily.
"And her husband," nodded Izzie, "The Weasleys,"
"Biggest bunch of redheads I've ever met, that family is, it's hilarious," laughed James.
"Erm seriously guys, I really hate thunder," Kathy cleared her throat ostentatiously, drawing all the attention to herself, curled up next to Remus.
"Don't worry yourself dear," Sirius said, patting Kathy's blonde bob patronizingly, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Thunder is disgusting," she groaned, "It repulses me,"
"We know," James chuckled, rolling his eyes, and she buried her head into her arms.
"James is a retard," she mumbled, her voice muffled.
"We know," Lily laughed, earning herself a prod from James.
"I never knew you were scared of thunder," Remus said.
"I'm not scared!" protested Kathy, looking at him in shock, "I just don't like it,"
"Sure..." Izzie grinned, and she glared at her, "Just go sleep through it,"
"I don't wanna go to sleep," Kathy moaned, "Can't sleep with thunder,"
"How come we've never heard of this phenomenal fear before?" asked James, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not a fear," Kathy insisted, "It's a dislike,"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever,"
"Well there haven't been any extreme thunderstorms this year, have there?"
"Oh I see," Izzie laughed, "And now we have unearthed your fe – I mean, dislike,"
"Exactly,"
"Bless little midget Kathy and her 'dislike' of thunder," cooed Sirius, earning himself a kick from Kathy's outstretched leg.
"Oi, I'm not a midget," she scowled, "I'm..."
"Vertically challenged?" suggested Remus, and Sirius scoffed.
"Better than being horizontally challenged, Sirius!" she retorted, laughing as his face fell.
"Hey! I'm not horizontally challenged!" he protested, "I am a healthy size!"
"And Severus Snape washes his hair every night," James muttered, as they all snickered.
"I am hurt," Sirius gasped overemotionally, clutching his hands to his chest in mock-agony, and collapsing to the floor.
"Oh Jesus, you killed him," Lily sighed, prodding Sirius with her toe, as he writhed pathetically.
"You are such a failure as a person Sirius," Izzie laughed, looking at him pityingly, just as Alice and Frank returned from the owlery.
"Hey," they waved, coming to sit by the fire, Alice's eyes no longer red, and she had a smile on her face.
"You alright Alice?" asked Remus, putting his hand on her knee.
"Yeah, I'm ok," she nodded, running a hand through her hair, "I got another letter, from Molly,"
"She was saying about how Gideon and Fabian wouldn't want Alice to be all upset and stuff," Frank elaborated, "They'd just want her to work hard and make it as an auror. I told you, Alice,"
"I know, I know," she smiled weakly, "It – it's just hard to know I'll never see them again,"
They all murmured in agreement, swallowing hard and blinking back tears.
"But it's okay," she continued, "I just gotta do them justice, and become an auror. That's what they always wanted, you know,"
"Yeah, good plan," smiled Sirius, and she closed her eyes, pulling away from Frank.
"I'm tired, I'm going upstairs," she said, making her way to the girls' staircase.
"Me too," Lily agreed, standing up, "Hey Alice, you can sleep in our dorm, if you want,"
Alice smiled gratefully, as they approached the staircase. They knew that she wasn't that good friends with all her seventh-year roommates; most of the time, she and Frank just lived in their own little bubble.
As they walked into the dorm, Lily crossed the room and pulled the window to her, shutting out the heavy rain and rumbling thunder, while the others sat on their beds, changing into their pyjamas.
"Night," Alice smiled weakly, drawing her curtains shut.
The other three shrugged at each other helplessly and sadly, before climbing into their own beds.
Lily, however, stood in the middle of the room, running her hands through her hair and frowning.
"Where the hell did I put my clip thingy?" she muttered to herself, as Kathy threw a pillow at her in an attempt to shut her up.
"Retrace your steps dear," Izzie mumbled sleepily, her eyes closed, and Lily furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought.
"So I had it in my hair when I started dancing," she muttered, stepping aside to avoid another pillow thrown by Kathy, "And when I sat down, I didn't have it..."
As if on cue, James walked into the room, waving an item above his head and smiling in mock-modesty.
"So I'm just about to go to sleep, when I feel a large item digging into my backside," he said, frowning slightly at the memory, and handing her the emerald clip.
"Oh, you have it," Lily said, relived, as she took it and placed it on her bedside table.
"No need to thank me!" he scoffed, sitting down on her bed and making himself comfortable.
"Alright, what are you still doing here?" she asked, smirking slightly.
"Am I just a walking handbag or something?" he pouted, crestfallen, "You just store all your items in my pockets and then throw me away once I'm done,"
"Will you keep it down, some of us are sleeping," came a tired voice from Izzie's bed, interrupting James' rant, and Kathy groaned incoherently in agreement. Lily and James burst into peals of laughter, only to be shushed again by the sleeping girls.
"Come on, get out," Lily whispered, shooing his towards the door.
"Good night sweet Lilykins," he said, kissing her on the cheek, and she blushed.
"Night James," she smiled, closing the door.
Yeah whatevs. I hate random sadness.
Next chapt may be more interesting.
Woo. I think it's going to rain. Why couldnt it have rained earlier, during PE? Ugh.
Err, 1188 reviews? Random? Yes.
Love ya.
Ash x
