Chapter 15: The outburst
James:
The days turned into weeks, and they turned into months. The days were tedious, the usual classes. We had our bad classes, Charms and Potions, and our good ones, D.A.D.A. and Herbology. There was nothing to really separate any days in our minds. There was the occasional detention form Haynes, and a few potions gone amiss, but nothing more than that. On occasion, the portrait hole would burst open in the wee hours of the morning and two lovebirds would come rushing in and laugh at how they had avoided Filch, the apprentice of the caretaker. And then, there were the regular jokes we played on Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.
One afternoon, Lily, Sirius, Remus and I returned to the common room after dinner and saw the whole of Gryffindor tower circled around the message board. We edged through, and as a seventh year moved off to talk to his friends, Sirius leapt into the whole he had left and read the notice aloud:
"On All Hallows Eve, 31 October, there will be a Card Masque for the school celebrating Halloween. Among the Festivities will be a costume competition, in which the winner will earn fifty points for his or her house, bobbing for apples, a haunted house, and dancing. Attendance is not mandatory, but recommended, but costumes are required, should you attend. Sounds fun to me, what do you guys think?"
"Could be fun, I guess," Lily said. "I don't know though, I hate costume parties. Everyone is always a witch. Although here, it might be different."
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going. Fifty points! That'd be great for the house. What do you think could beat everyone out?"
"Search me. I don't know if I'll go, October 31st? I'll have to check my calendar. If it's a Friday or Saturday, I'll go, but not on a school night, never."
"Of course, Lily Evans would never in a million years take a night off from studying. You're so uptight Lily. I'm gonna drag you there even if it's kicking and screaming," vowed Sirius.
"It might be, just you wait." As Lily ran up to check her calendar, Sirius, Remus and I went up to the boy's dorms, where we got our books and parchment to start our homework. We settled ourselves at a big, circular table with all of our books spread out and were just about to start collectively on researching of fast acting venoms for D.A.D.A. when Lily came back down into the common room with Cat, both of them were holding more parchment and books. "Sirius, I hope you're strong because Halloween is on a Thursday this year. There is no way you are going to get me out of that portrait hole. I'll lock myself in my room."
"Lily, you're such a spoilsport," I said. "It'll be fun. A haunted house, have you ever been in a haunted house with real ghosts? Real ghosts Lily. Have you ever bobbed for apples? In our world? Do you have any idea how hard it is to grab an apple that hides from you? Lily, you'll really be missing out."
"You know what? I don't care. We've got classes the next day. Do you even know what a masque is?"
"Enlighten us, oh knowledgeable Lily," said Sirius, in a misty voice.
"Shut up Shaggy. Masques tend to go all night. You remain in costume until midnight when you pull off your mask. Then there's more party; you don't just go home. We have double potions on Friday, first. Haynes will be a nightmare if we keep falling asleep in class."
"True, but who says we'll have classes the next day?"
"Well, the fact that it's a week day and that the teachers aren't going to let a little thing like sleep deprivation get in they way of our learning."
"Well put. I'm still going though."
"Enough talk about the stupid ball. We have to get this done. It says here that fast acting venoms aren't as painful as the slow ones, the reason not being because they are fast acting, but because they are much more complex. What else do we have tonight?"
"Lacompte gave us an assignment we can actually do this time. We have to study the spell that makes fairies light up, what's it called? The Lighter spell? Something like that, Binns just gave us some reading, this, and Terra told us to find three different flowers on the grounds and make the charts, with their names, properties, and uses. That's not due till Monday though."
"Ugh, we'll have to pull an all nighter," complained Cat, rubbing her eyes and looking at her watch that now read ten thirty.
"It's not the first time. Remember when we had that Potions test?"
"Don't remind me," groaned Sirius. The though of his 65 still brought tears to his eyes.
"Hey Arthur?" Lily called to a tall boy with bright red hair. "Are you going out with Molly tonight?"
"Yeah, why?" asked Arthur.
"Could you get us some coffee please. I'll take mine with cream. What about you guys?" she asked, turning to us. Everyone had his or her mouth open.
"You drink coffee?" blurted out Remus.
"Yeah, since I was nine."
"Whatever. Never mind Arthur, was it? I've always been bad with names. Don't bother just have a nice time tonight. Lily will just have to do without her coffee tonight," I explained.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay, see you later."
"Bye Arthur."
"What's the matter you guys? I'm gonna need coffee tonight to stay awake."
"Don't ruin his date tonight. He's going out with his girlfriend. How would you like it if you were going out on a date and some pestering first year asked you to bring him some coffee from the kitchens?"
"I'd give it to them, if they were going all night."
"Shut up Tabby, we've got work to do."
The next day during Transfiguration, while I was being praised for the ump-teenth time on my perfect transformation, I was spared for a moment by Lily's raised hand.
"Yes, Miss Evans?"
"About the Masque…" she started.
"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me Miss Evans. AS you all must know by now, the Masque is next week. It has been brought to my attention that it is on a Thursday, so as a special treat your first two classes are canceled so you can sleep in.
"Also, it's a card ball, meaning that every girl gets a card. Every boy that asks her to dance with her writes his name down on her card. The card will be attachable by tying it around your wrist with a string. You don't have to bring it to the dance, but you'll get one all the same. Any questions?"
"Do you have to go?" asked Lily.
"It isn't mandatory, but it is recommended that you attend."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"If you don't go, you have to go to your first two classes."
"Right then."
"Do you have to have a date?" asked Sirius.
"Mr. Black, eleven year olds should not be dating. You are too young. However, it would be nice if you went with a group, more than two."
"Why?"
"Because if a girl and a boy went together, it is a date. Dating is forbidden here until your fourth year, in which case you will be fourteen and are allowed, why do you need to know this now?" she asked sternly.
"All I asked is why there had to be more than two, you launched into the full explanation of the rule of dating here at Hogwarts."
"What am I going to do with you Mr. Black?"
"Hog tie me?"
Professor McGonagall grimaced. The bell rang and we hurried out to Herbology.
The week passed quickly. On Friday afternoon, Lily and Cat sat in a quiet corner of the common room, discussing something. Sirius and I, however, were more worried about what we were going to be for the party.
"I got a great idea, we could be something from a Muggle movie," Sirius suggested.
"When have you ever seen a Muggle movie?" I asked.
"Good point. You got any ideas?"
"We could couple with the girls."
"Good idea. Oi, Lily, Cat, get over here!" They looked up from their conversation and reluctantly walked over.
"What do you want?" asked Cat, annoyed.
"Yeah, we were thinking of ideas for costumes. We got some good ones too," said Lily, just as annoyed as Cat.
"Wanna couple?" asked Sirius.
"No. You guys just don't have any ideas so you thought you'd mooch off of us," complained Cat.
"And?"
"Shaggy, you are so annoying, I could just hit you," shouted Lily, and she did so, making Sirius visibly cringe.
"You'd never know how strong she is. Scrawny little thing, isn't ow! Lily, stop hitting me! Ow! James, do someow! God Lily, stop!" he shouted, and he fell on top of her, and wrestled her to the ground. He finally pinned her to the ground by grabbing her wrists and holding them tightly until she stopped flailing around.
"What's your problem?" she asked, wrenching free from his grip and getting up. She dusted herself off and ran her fingers through her hair, wiping it out of her face.
"You're my problem! Ever since we had detention on our first night, everything I've done has pissed you off! And as far as I'm concerned, I'm not any different then I've ever been! Out with it Lily! What have I done wrong?!" Sirius screamed. Lily had just stood there, taking it in. Everyone in the common room was looking over uneasily. It was eerily silent. I was surprised that she wasn't sobbing, but she just stood there, jaw clenched.
"You know what you're doing wrong? Your caring," she said in barely more than a whisper.
A/N: Kind of a cliffhanger. Next part, the Card Masque ball. Email me with ideas on what they should be, because it's kinda hard to think what they would be. You recognize it? Then I don't own it. Sorry it took so long, over the Thanksgiving break, I was without computer, and then I planned to post Sunday night, but our flight got cancelled and we had to drive through sleet and ice for eight hours to get home. Ahhhh! Took ver long. I'll shut up now.