A visit to Hogwarts
By Ola
*~*~*~*~*
Bemused, Lily and Alex looked at each other, wide eyed, and yawned at the same time, which produced a strained giggle. By unvoiced agreement, the girls left, making sure that no one was there to see them.
"We should go to the Common Room. The guys will be getting worried."
"Yea," huge yawn, "and I want nothing else more at this moment than to go to bed," said Lily.
"Oh… not even a goodnight kiss from James?" said Sirius in a mocked disappointed voice. The girls had arrived to the tower, talking, and Sirius had overheard them. Of course, as soon as he said that, he got whacked in the head by two couch pillows. One thrown by an angry James, and one by a scarlet cheeked Lily. Everyone else was rolling on the floor, trying not to laugh out loud and wake the whole dorm.
*~*~*~*~*
The next day, five very tired, but extremely excited students went down to the Great Hall, four of which went immediately to the Griffindor table to gobble down food as fast as they could, considering their long night. The fifth was of course Alex, hidden under the invisibility cloak, as she too wanted to see the result of their prank.
As other students began to arrive, they stared open mouthed at the transformation of the dinning hall. The floor as well as the walls was covered by a white, fluffy substance that suspiciously resembled clouds. White light was shining from above, bathing the hall in peace, and from somewhere, the soft melody of a harp was being played. It looked like… like… Heaven. Wow, the guys did a really great job! Thought Lily, looking at the satisfied smiles on her friends' faces.
Surprisingly, all the students were silent, taking advantage of the peace and quiet to catch up on some sleep. That is, until the first Slyverin appeared on the top step of the stairs. At that moment, the Hall erupted in laughter, only getting stronger as more and more Slyverin made their way to breakfast. They seemed ready to burst with anger and humiliation, and there's no wonder as to why. They were wearing long, white, flowing robes, their hair was blond and curly, and they were angrily flapping great, white wings! There was only one thing they could be looking like: angels! Well, they didn't look as innocent and happy as really angels did. Rather, with their red faces, they looked like little devils disguised as angels. And in a way, they were. But Slyverin as angels? No way. That was just too hilarious. And even though the pranksters knew what was coming, they were laughing as hard as the others. And for once, they hadn't left any proof that it had been them; although many people were suspecting them, including most of the Slyverins, who were now glaring at the foursome with hatred.
*~*~*~*~*
"Did you see their face?" said Sirius, jumping up an down in excitement, at the end of the day. Everyone else was still smiling, remembering the Slyverins' faces. Especially Snape's and Malfoy's. Those two had been ready to blow the roof off. Anf fortunately, McGonogal chose that moment to intervene. Students will talk about this for years. And the marauders finally achieved their titles as the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen. Which by the way didn't mean they would STOP! By all means. They would try to break their record!
*~*~*~*~*
When everyone finally fell asleep in their respectful rooms, Lily lay awake, staring at the ceiling of her crimson four-poster bed. James acted very weird today. He didn't insult me or curse me; and he had a weird look in his warm, brown eyes. STOP IT! Don't talk like that about this jerk. His eyes were shiny because he was thinking perverted little things about his flock of followers, thought Lily angrily. And what was that thing Dumbledore told Alex? That she made the right choic? Well, if it was about coming here, I'm sure it was a good choice. She's a great person, and it's weord how much her character is like mine. Lily smiled. I'm really happy she came. But her thoughts kept returning to James, as she tried to puzzle out her feelings for him. "Arrrgg…" she said in a quiet voice so as not to wake anyone. Sitting up in her bed, she parted the bed hangings and go out of bed. Shit! It's cold! My toes are going to freeze in no time. Wow, it's beautiful, as she looked at the moon through the open window. The moon was just ascending the sky, and appeared much larger than it usually did. The lake was frozen over, a silvery expense of smooth, cold, ice. And the trees of the forbidden forest, bare of leaves at this time of the year, seemed alive, reaching for the unawary with scrawny limbs. Lost in contemplation, Lily didn't notice that her feet were turning blue, not that she only had a thin pyjama to cover her lithe body against the cold of a winter night. She was so taken up by the beaty of the paysage thet she jumped in fright with an undignified squack when she heared a thump, muffled by the wall dividing her dorm from the one the guys shared. What the?… Probably the guys, doing something as stupid as getting dressed for a prank and falling over a pair of dirty socks lying on the floor. But she didn't hear any cursing, nor any other noise such as a door closing. She was getting worried, since Sirius and Remus were her friends. Oh, all right, so is James. I can't deny it to myself that he is funny and that I would miss him if he left. Taking courage into both handes, she tiptoed out into the corridor. It was dark, and she almost turned around to run back into the safety of her blankets. No! You're a Griffindor. And your friends might be in danger. That last thought decided her. She held her wand in a sweaty and trembling hand, turning a door-knob with the other, not less sweaty nor trembling. One…two…THREE! And as she finished counting, she opened the door to the guys' dorm with a quick thrust, to stare upon a weird scene.
*~*~*~*~*
Lily was standing in the door's threshold, blinking with surprise at the strange sight that met her eyes. Four beds were arranged in a neat row, a large window was open to let in a cold breeze and a silver moon beam. Three boys were sleeping under crimson blankets with golden fringes. The forth one was sprawled on the floor in the tangle of his own red blanket.
"James?" Lily burst out in laugher, as much because of James' predicament as because of her fear.
"Lily?" he said in a weird voice, untangling himself from the mess on the floor. And as he stood up, clutching his blanket against the cold, Lily's laugher redoubled. Bent in half and clutching her sides, she managed to say: "You…you have PINK boxers!?!" between two outbursts of mirth.
"Yea?" he said, on his guards.
"They were a birthday present from my mom, and I don't throw away presents.
Especially if they are comfortable," he said, his eyebrows coming together
suspiciously, but he nonetheless wrapped his blankets around him, successfully
hiding his shorts. I can't let her know. Not yet. And not like this, when I
just made a fool of myself. But it had been so real…
"What are you doing here, EVANS?" said James, in a voice that was supposed to be threatening.
"I was enjoying the view from
my window when a certain PERSON made lots of noise. I thought something had
happened to Sirius and Remus, POTTER." She purposefully dropped his name from
the list because of the way he just talked to her. Here I am, walking in
dark corridors, afraid, coming to the rescue of my friends, and what do I get?
An 'EVANS' and a nasty look. For a moment, I really thought he was a nice guy.
But if he acts this way, so will I.
Outch! Though James. She
is back with the POTTER. I'm sorry Lily. I'm sorry for calling you EVANS, I'm
sorry for always playing pranks on you, I'm sorry for being a jerk… I'm sorry
flower. But I can't tell you that I love you, even if I really do. You will
either slap me, just like in the dream, or simply laugh at me and walk away. I
couldn't take that. I might seem brave and self-assured… but I'm scared to
death that you will say no.
"So, what WERE you doing?" said Lily, breaking his gloomy thoughts.
"I had a bad dream. A nightmare.
Because YOU were in it," said James, trying to hide his feelings by lying. "I
was lying on the grass. It was spring, the sky was blue, and it was neither too
hot nor too cold. It was just perfect; well, that is, until YOU came. It
started raining, and there was a tornado, then there was a hailstorm and two
feet of snow. I was in my shorts, so I was freezing. But you didn't seem to be
cold at all. It was as if there was a bubble around you to protect you. And
then, you SLAPPED me, for NO REASON!" said James in indignation. There, this
should be enough truth. I DID have a nightmare, and it had been cold, and you
WERE there, but you were so cold, and I couldn't do anything to help you. So I
tried to warm you, and while I was holding you, you looked up at me with your
big, sad eyes, and then you… you closed them forever. But it was so real. I
FELT the cold. And when you came in, I was so happy that it had all been a
dream.
What's wrong with him,
though Lily. One minute, he's mean and arrogant, the next his eyes get all
shiny and dark, and it seems as if he has seen his own death. I really don't
understand him, but I hope he's all right…It really was cool when he called me
Lily instead of Evans. It seemed…right. But then, how…
"James, how did you know it was me and not Alex? You can't see my eye color from where I am standing, the moon beam doesn't reach me," she asked curiously.
"W…what?" James finally broke free from his morbid thoughts. "Oh, …I … I don't know." He had been taken by surprise by her question so couldn't make up anything fast enough. And anyway, what would he have said? That he just knew it, like he knew that he was 'he', even if it was exactly what had happened? It's really weird, but I could pick her out of a crowd. She seems a part of me somehow. And I don't even know when that started. I guess I DID hate her at the beginning, but then, I really began to like her…a lot. But she can't know yet!
"Go to sleep Evans." Outch. I'm so sorry Lily. "Leave me alone, I need sleep, I have Quidditch practice tomorrow morning," said James, trying to get her to go away. Yea, and instead of concentrating on the snitch, I will be thinking about you Lil, and probably crash into the goal posts, he thought with a wry smile.
Oh yea?! Though Lily. Fine! And stop smiling that way. I really wouldn't want to know what you are thinking right now. Probably about your girlfriend, or how to snare some more admirers…and it makes me really sad that you never tried with ME. What am I saying?! Don't cheat yourself, Lily, you know you like him. Sight. Better to go, or I might do something as stupid as kiss him good night! Giggle. I wonder how he would react to THAT! And smiling, she finally left for her dorm.
Why did she just giggle? Though James, bemused. Did I say something funny?…Or did she somehow read my thoughts! Oh my god! I hope she didn't. That would be way too scary. And adding to the events of this night, I won't be able to sleep. And I probably WILL crash into a goal post, if for another reason! And with that last thought, he went to bed too.
*~*~*~*~*
The next day found two red heads silently talking to each other and giggling from time to time. They were, of course, planning their next prank, but one that only they could do. And as usually it involved Snape, and whoever happened to be nearby. Lily charmed Alex's clothes to become the exact copy of her own, and the two girls left the little room that they all had come to call 'the hole.'
A few minutes later, Snape was walking along a winding and gloomy hallway, wearing an expression more sour than that of a lemon. His long, dark, green cloak swept past him like the wings of a great bat. Walking in the opposite direction, he saw Lily. Mudblood. Pfwa! But a pretty mudblood. Swiveling his head back to look where he was going, he starred, as Lily walk passed him again, in the same direction as before. What the…? Shaking his head, must have been the light. This hallway IS dark, and it might have been someone else. He continued to walk, trying to forget his hallucinations. But as the day rolled by, he saw more and more Lilys, sometimes alone, sometimes two together, looking at him and giggling hysterically. It came up to the point that he was jumping at shadows, expecting to see everyone else's duplications. Finally, in the evening, he saw a Lily walking toward him, but instead of continuing like she had done all day, she stopped, and looked him in the eyes. He shivered.
"What time is it Snape," she asked, offhand.
"Eh…7:20pm" he answered, too bemuse to notice that he was talking to his enemy, as she walked away.
One minute later, another Lily came out of a room, which had no other doorway, so there was no way she could have ran past him into the room.
"What time is it Snape," she asked, with the same innocent voice as the first girl had.
That's it, thought Snape. I shouldn't have drank that third butterbeer cup. And with that last thought, he fainted. As soon as he touched the floor, the real Lily came back from around the corner of the hallway.
"I didn't know he was that weak-hearted," she said, with no trace of innocence in her voice what so ever. "Shall we leave him here?"
"He does look rather heavy, and anyway, I wouldn't touch a Slyverin if his life depended on it." The girls giggled at each other, and then, laughing, they walked away, happy of a day well spent.
*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Sorry for taking so long to write this next part, but I have been VERY busy: tennis practice and matches (coming home at 7 pm every day) SAT's, AP Tests… and it's not over yet.
Anyway, it was a little mean for the girls to leave Snape out in the hallway, but what were they supposed to do? And well, he IS a Slyverin!
And it's MY story, so I do with it what I like! J ha ha! The beauty of writing!
Please, PLEASE review, it only takes a few seconds, and it tells me if you like what I am writing or if you think it's crap.
Disclaimer: like always. Read the previous chapter's disclaimer if you are interested.
R E V I E W ! please J it's the little box , right below this line!
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