Actually, it's not really a good idea to go on with this story. I'm writing German tomorrow, and I'll be tired for sure. But I can't sleep anyway, so it doesn't matter if I'm laying in my bed, staring at the sky outside, or if I'm sitting at my desk.
Nail a pudding on the wall!
Part 10
‚Okay, let's try to think logically.' Lily rubbed her eyes. 'Point 1) The last thing to do is to tell Granny about it. Point 2) Probably, this awful Dursley guy will keep her busy in talking about his drills at least for another hour. So I have - point 3) - some time to come to a solution. And that's all I can think of at the moment.'
Lily passed the living room on tiptoe and sneaked up the stair. Back in her room, she sat down on the ground, looking up at James' sleeping figure and shook her head in mild amusement, despite her predicament. How could he sleep like that? Both legs were hanging out of the bed, he was laying on the back, his head turned to her side, a tiny smile playing about his lips. Well, at least he was fine. But not for long, she promised him silently.
Only two more minutes of sleep, James, two minutes for me to figure out what to do, and then I'll wake you up.
But she wasn't thinking about how to solve her problem in those two minutes, in fact, she wasn't thinking of anything, she was just watching the sleeping boy on her bed, fighting the strange urge to kiss him. 'Now, why would you want to kiss him?' she told herself firmly. 'You are not in love with him! Not with James Potter. He's the last person you should fall in love with, and now stop daydreaming about a guy who's a wonderful friend, but who is - when it comes to love - nothing but a flop.' She got up, bent over him and shook him vigorously before her insane part, as she called it, could get the upper hand of her.
"James!"
He didn't even move, only his eyelashes were trembling slightly.
"James! Wake up, sleepyhead!"
It was hopeless. James was fast asleep, and no matter what she did, he was barely showing any reaction, so she finally gave up and sat down next to him. Now, what was she supposed to do? She couldn't tell her grandmother, it was just impossible. Then her look fell on his bag, half hidden under her bed, and hanging out was - no, why should he have brought the invisibility cloak with him? And yet it was there! Lily nearly laughed. Well, if he had to fall asleep on her bed, then at least he had enough decency to bring something with him that solved all her problems. Okay, not all, she still had to sleep in the same bed as he and she had to push him to the wall, but as long as she didn't have to tell her grandmother - or, even worse, Petunia - about him, everything was fine. Maybe she could even find another cover somewhere, without them noticing...
***
Hey, this isn't very comfortable!
James moaned. He was pressed against a wall, on his other side, someone's elbow was sticking him. Definitely not what he had expected. Firstly, his bed was standing in the middle of his room, no wall, and then, he would never share it with someone. Well, exactly speaking... But that wasn't the topic at the moment. He slowly opened his eyes and decided instantly that he was having some strange dream. Not a nightmare, though, but definitely a dream. How else could it be explained that he was lying in Lily's room, on Lily's bed, and, above all, at Lily's side? He pinched himself vigorously, counting on the fact that you can't feel pain as long as you're just dreaming about it - and after he had recovered from the shock of having a aching arm, he was convinced that this was not a dream.
He leaned over to look at the girl's face. Lily was sleeping, her hair gleaming in the moonlight, and he decided that he couldn't wake her up. Not now. Maybe if he watched her for some time and tried to wake her up afterwards? But he hadn't even finished this thought when Lily stirred, opened her eyes and was staring directly into his own. He blushed and quickly turned away - just when he noticed that he couldn't see his hand. In fact, he couldn't see the slightest piece of himself, and now that he finally became aware of this, he felt his invisibility cloak spread over him.
"James? Are you awake?" Lily gazed in his direction, although she knew he was under the cloak.
He nodded, then reminded himself that this was just a waste of time. "Yeah. What happened?"
"Well, you fell asleep on my bed, a few minutes after we left the living room. Sirius and Remus decided that this was funny and disappeared with your broom. And then I discovered the cloak, and as I wasn't able to wake you up, I thought it was the best I could do."
"Sirius, you ..."
"Why Sirius?"
"He found the recipe for a sleeping potion in one of his books. Not very complicated, but some pretty effects: The person you give it to will fall asleep the moment you cross your fingers and he - or she - will not awake until the day's over. It's a few minutes past midnight, isn't it?"
Lily took a look at her wristwatch. "Yep. So you think Sirius brew it and gave it to you to test it?"
"'Course he did, you know him."
"Okay, so what are we doing to repay him for this? Uh, and please, could you set the cloak aside? It makes me nervous somehow, to hear a voice out of nowhere." She grinned apologetically.
"No problem." He folded up the cloak, then hesitated for a moment. "But... What if your grandmother comes in?"
"She won't, she's a sound sleeper. We just have to think about it before we fall asleep again."
He shrugged, now clearly visible. "Kay. So... What can we do? Oh, and do you think that Remus was initiated? Then we'd have to get him back as well."
"Hmm. I dunno. Maybe."
"Then let's think of something for him too, just to make sure that he can't get away with something like that." James grinned.
They lay both in silence for a short while, then Lily turned her head to James, smiling mischievously. "Sirius has beautiful hair, don't you think so? Long, shining,..."
"... What????" But Lily was too lost in her idea to see the jealousy on James face.
"Just think of that Lockhart guy, you know, this useless looker in Hufflepuff. The way he does his hair... These cute curls... Don't you think that it would suit Sirius?"
Now that James knew what she had meant, he laughed quietly. "Definitely yes! D'you know a charm?"
"Nah, but that shouldn't be a problem. Let's take a look at the books in the library when we're back at Hogwarts."
"Okay. Then there's only Remus left... Hey, what if we gave some Love potion to Kendall Argwen? That would be two birds with one stone! Revenge on Remus, and Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be too happy if his girlfriend falls for another guy two months after they came together."
Lily snorted with laughter and buried her head under her pillow for not waking Petunia or Mrs. Raiden up. When she finally was able to speak again, her eyes were sparkling in the moonlight. "Great! Just imagine his reaction when she follows him around! Though the potion must be limited in time, it would be too mean if she was in love with him for more than two weeks."
"Oh, well, it's quite nice to be loved, don't you think so?"
Instead of answering, Lily whacked him with her pillow, stifling her giggles. Not for long, though, when James defended himself in tickling her, she was shrieking with laughter. "That's not fair, James, get off me!"
They didn't realize how loud they had been. Not until they heard some footsteps in the corridor, approaching Lily's room. They exchanged a short glance, then James rolled over, grabbed the cloak, threw it over himself and pressed himself against the wall while Lily had moved into the middle of the bed and pretended to be fast asleep. Not a second too early. Just when she had closed her eyes, the door opened and a ray of light was falling on the floor and the bed. A small figure stood in the doorframe, looking at the girl, wearing a furious expression: Lily's grandmother! (A/N: Yay! Granny rocks! *g*)
"Lily! Don't even try to pretend, I know that you're not sleeping! Who's there? Someone's in your room!"
Lily sat up, trying to look puzzled and innocent, smiling weakly at the old woman. "Granny? Nobody's here. What makes you think that?"
Mrs. Raiden didn't waste any time on answering her granddaughter. She kneeled down and looked under Lily's bed, and, as she couldn't discover anyone under there, went over to her wardrobe, opened its door with a jerk - and seemed to be totally confused when it was empty except her clothes.
"I know that you're not alone! I heard you laughing!"
"Oh, but... Maybe it was a dream, Granny? You were half asleep and heard me laughing in your dream and you thought it was actually happening!"
"No, I already said that I heard it! I'm not that stupid, dear!"
"But where should he - er, or she, of course - have been gone?"
Her grandmother shook her head, flashed her a still furious look and left the room, saying "We'll talk about this tomorrow!" and closing the door behind her.
For at least five minutes, neither Lily nor James dared to move so much as a muscle, then Lily whispered in a voice that was almost inaudible: "Uh-oh... That was only just..."
"D'you think she'll have calmed down when she wakes up?"
"No. We should get up very, very early and leave the house before she rises."
"Ugh! What does this mean, very, very early?"
"Before it gets light."
"You're kidding."
But the girl next to him wasn't answering. Leaning over, he saw that she was already fast asleep. He grinned, breathed a kiss on her hair and closed his eyes too, though it took him some time to fall asleep as well.
***
"Noooo... Please, not yet..."
"Wake up, Lil, it's already past ten, and your grandmother's working in the kitchen."
Lily sat up with a start, listening hard to the sound coming from downstairs. "Uh... D'you hear how rough she's with the plates? I think we should disappear as quickly as possible without her noticing."
And so they got up quietly (A/N: Not what you think! Of course they were both still dressed! ;-)), spread the cloak over both of them, took a look at the mirror to make sure that there wasn't even a hair left out, then they opened the door - and faced a Petunia who looked at them - or rather at the door that seemed to have opened all by itself - with a terrified look, shrieked, turned around and vanished in her own room.
The moment they were out of sight, in a road that led in direction of the inner city, both collapsed on the ground, recalling the expression of Petunia's face.
"Ha! This was one of the moments in live I'll never forget!" Lily was laughing with all her heart, while James was erupting into fits of laughter regularly. When they both had gained back their self-control tolerably, they stood up again, James helping Lily to her feet, and after he had stowed away the cloak, they looked at each other.
"So... What are we going to do now?"
"Hmm. You don't have any Muggle money, do you?"
James shook his head. "Nah. You?"
"Yes, though not much... Hey, I know what we'll do!"
"Er, judging by the expression of your face... I'm not sure if I'm going to like it..."
"Sure you will... It has something to do with Shakespeare!" Lily smirked. "We'll visit the performance of 'Romeo & Juliet'!"
"Now?"
"Of course not, joker. The theaters will open in about three hours, I think. 'Romeo & Juliet' is at 14 in the afternoon."
"And what can we do till then?"
"Let's just go to the center, then we can try to find something to keep us busy. Oh, and warm..." She shuddered slightly.
"Want my cloak? I don't really need it." he lied.
"No, it's okay. Thanks, but when we're walking it'll be warmer."
"Kay, what direction?"
"This."
***
Soon, James and Lily had to realize that there isn't much you can do at half past 11 in the morning of the 26th of September. Not if you haven't enough money to order more than one drink in a café, and the waitress tells you rather unpleasantly to leave and let the seats to other people. And so they found themselves outside again after just under an hour and had to decide what to do next for not freezing to death. Lily looked around the place they were standing now, it was completely covered with snow, and by the only few footprints in the white cover they could tell how empty the city was. James glanced at her and smiled about a snowflake which had landed on Lily's lashes and refused to melt.
"Lil? Aren't your eyelashes a bit heavy suddenly?"
She blew it away with a grin, then looked at her companion. "What can we do? There are still about two hours till we can go to the theater."
"Um... How about... that?" He bent, picked up some snow and threw it at her, and soon they put all their forces into their snowball fight. Ten minutes of fight, then Lily dropped all her snowballs and smiled broadly at James.
"Stop! That's enough, I think it's obvious till now that you haven't the faintest chance to win. D'you surrender?"
She was silenced instantly by being thrown in the snow. "Take it back!"
"Nooo! James, please!" Lily tried to escape his arms, giggling loudly. "Please, don't tickle me! It's not fair!"
"Who cares?" James grinned roguishly. "D'you take it back?"
Lily could hardly breathe with laughter, but she wasn't ready yet to give up. "No! Never! Lemme! go!"
"Nope."
"Please?" She looked up at him, fluttering her eyelashes.
James gazed down at her and forgot everything around him for a moment. That was his fault: The next thing he knew was that now he was laying on his back in the snow, Lily had pressed his arms in it and was grinning broadly.
"Never underestimate your opponent till he's completely beaten."
He shrugged while smiling at her. "Okay, got it. But... What are we going to do now?"
"Um... Hey, we could go sledding!"
"What?"
"Don't tell me you don't know what sledding is! James!"
"Well, I don't know."
"In this case we will do it."
"I don't have much choice, have I?" James grinned at her.
"No." Lily shook her head emphatically. "Will you help me to find a plastic bag?"
"We need a plastic bag?"
"Actually: No. But as we haven't a sledge, it's the best thing we can take instead."
***
James wrinkled up his nose and looked at the snow-covered slope that lay before him and Lily. "And now?"
"See those kids?"
"Yeah?"
"Okay then, we'll just imitate them. You'll sit in front!"
He glanced at her grinning face. "Why?"
"'Cause if we crash I am safe."
"Hey, that's not fair. Why don't we draw lots for it?"
"Pleeeeaaase, Jamie..."
James scolded silently himself for not being able to refuse any of her wishes and nodded slowly, though not looking very happy.
She smiled at him. "Hey, don't worry, it's not dangerous, really. And I can sit in front, too."
"No, it's okay, come on!"
***
"What's the time?"
Lily glanced at her watch and jumped to her feet. "Hurry up, it's already a quarter to two!"
James got up as well. Both had been lying in the snow, totally exhausted from more than an hour sledding down the hill and climbing it again, mostly after a nice landing in the deepest snowdrift - only James knew how he succeeded in making them end up nearly every time in one of those. Now they were shaking the snow from their clothes - or they tried to, at least, they were not very successful - and set off for the theater in a hurry.
They were among the last to get their tickets, and when they went to their seats, they earned a few angry glances from other theatergoers, but decided that they were beyond caring. Lily never saw 'Romeo & Juliet' on a stage, so she was curious, though not as much as James. He had never been in a theater before, and what Lily had told him about it sounded great, so he was eager to see it starting.
They didn't have to wait long. A minute after they had taken their seats, the lights went out, the curtain opened and a man appeared, wearing an earnest expression on his face.
"'Two households, both alike in dignity
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...'"
***
"How did you like it?"
James grinned. "I dunno. Some parts were rather good. The balcony scene, for example, I liked it very much. Thought the best part was when 'Tybalt' didn't pay attention to his dress before re-appearing on the stage..."
Lily laughed. "If it wasn't for this new law, the restriction of Doesn't-interest-me-what, I'd have bet that this was one of your ideas."
James bowed. "Thanks. But a gown that is stuck in a pair of underpants with little Teddy bears... Nah, that's life itself!"
"James!" Lily snorted with laughter. "That wasn't a gown! At the time of Romeo & Juliet, men used to wear these 'gowns' as you call it! Besides, I know plenty of people that would call the robes we're wearing at Hogwarts woman's clothes!"
"Bah, they just don't know what they're talking about. Do you think I look like a woman in my Hogwart's robes?"
"Well..." Lily grinned roguishly.
"Hey, I'll tickle you again if you don't say that I look incredibly handsome in one of those!"
"Nah, that would be coercion!"
"Who cares?" He approached her, his eyes sparkling, and she jumped back with a snigger - right into a man that watched both of them with an amused expression. The time it took Lily to excuse herself was enough for James to catch her.
"Will you admit it?"
"No." She was trying to escape him.
"Just say it, Lil!" he grinned broadly at the girl who was shrieking with laughter. "Come on, just repeat my words: James looks incredibly handsome in his Hogwart's robes!"
"N... No!"
"Yes!"
Lily split her sides laughing and gave finally up. "Okay! Okay, James looks incredibly handsome in his Hogwart's robes!"
He stopped at once. "There you are! I should do this more often, you know... There is so much homework to be done..."
"You're not that mean, are you?"
"'Course not. Though it would be nice..."
Lily faked a shudder. "I think I'll go and ask Ms Stevens if there's a way to heal ticklishness!"
"But first we should go back to your grandmother's house. Sirius and Remus might be waiting for us."
"Ha! I can't wait for our revenge!"
"Me too."
They exchanged a grin and headed through the falling darkness back to Lily's home.
*****
Sorry, I know I promised to upload this yesterday, but I wasn't even at home the last 48 hours. I've finished the first half of it three days ago, but it was too short for one part, so you had to wait a bit longer... Was this part boring? I'm not quite sure if it was. Next part on Wednesday, I hope.
Uh, of course, the Disclaimer:
Nothing's mine, except Granny and the plot - what plot, anyway? *g* Everything else belongs to?... Joanne K. Rowling, exactly!