Sunshine If Eternal; James, Moony & Gem; Part 12
By Ginny :) , queen of pointlessness ;)
OK, there should be maybe one more part after this. Possibly two. Three at most. This series is horribly long... *sigh*! And just when you thought you'd escaped, Lily, Lillibette and Meg will be back to haunt you ;) I'm going to try and get Quidditch involved in the next Lily and James series... only last time I tried it, I was forced to delete the fic, as it really was increadibly dire. Oh yeah... I'm also working on a fic called 'To Sleep No More', which is set in the future, is horribly pessimistic, and was advised by Colin [my serious muse]. This series was the result of a joint effort between Colin and Eddie [who is my humorous muse... he's usually a lot stonger then Colin, lolz.] OK, now you all think I'm really weird, giving my Muses names... you're not far wrong, either!
You are bloody lucky the series got his far. So don't flame me or you might just well never have an end part, because this required a lot of effort getting through writor's block! I knew what I wanted to happen, I just couldn't put it into words... argh!!!! Annoying!!!!! Oh yeah... James and Remus call Ana 'Accentios' because thats her 2nd name, if you'd forgotten, and because they're not real friends.
Well, read and review! Have a nice day!
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The forest was dark. It was cold. It was wet. I shivered in my boots. We walked. And we walked. And we still walked. We didn't have a clue where we were going. We were all busy being pessimistic.
"How the hell did I get myself roped into this?!" Accentios muttered, hugging herself in a vain effort to keep warm.
"Huh," I replied "If I had a penny every time I asked myself that I'd have..." I paused unceartainly, "6 pence," I ended lamely.
"Shut up, Potter," Evens suggested, tossing her head.
"This place gives me the creeps," said Peter.
"Well, that's a surprise," I rolled my eyes, "considering this place is the Forbidden Forest."
"I have a thing about places with names like that," Gem informed the world in general "I don't like to be in them. But we can't give up!"
"Well, we could..."
"Shut up, Potter."
"Don't tell me to shut up, you wannabe Sloaney! Ow! Now that was uncalled for!" Evens had hit me.
"Can you two try to get on for five minutes?" Gem hissed, annoyed.
"She hit me!"
"Your point being?!"
"Well, it hurt."
"Don't be such a wuss."
We subsided once again into silence. We kept walking.
"You know," I said after a moment "This is like being with Sirius when he knows where he is going."
"Shut up, Potter."
"Look, will you stop saying that!"
"Why?" Evens scowled petulantly.
"Please," Moony invervened, trying to be the voice of reson, "just be friends, can't you?"
Silence again. I suppose that Moony's statement was a non- starter.
"Hey!" Gem stopped in her tracks.
"What?"
"Up ahead!" Gem pointed. Ahead, I could see a faint, silvery glow from a little way away. I didn't know what it was, and when you don't know what something is, it's safer to stay away from it.
"Oh!" Accentios ran forewards "What a stoke of luck!"
"Eh?" Peter frowned, then his face cleared "Oh, I see!"
"What are you two on about?" Evens looked annoyed
"Yeah, explain, please," I said, "and don't tell me to shut up, Evens."
"I can tell you whatever I want!"
Moony sighed, loudly "We're in the middle of a forest, looking for a lost firewitch, under threat from getting eaten by... by animals, and all you two can do is argue about nothing!"
"Hello?" Accentios interrupted, "Look what we've found! Not a very good hiding place, eh?"
She was holding up a cloak. It had to be the cloak we were looking for. It looked... weird. Like water, but with a less liquid look to it. It shone brightly in the darkness as she held it up.
"Cool," Gem nodded "Is the ring there?"
"Yep," Accentios pulled the ring out. It was plain, flat and golden, appart from a cystal embedded in it. A beautiful red stone. It glinted the colour of blood in the light that came from the cloak. [A/n; and no, it's not the Philosopher's Stone... that was discovered by someone else... Nicholas Flammel... not Perdita...]
"That was easy!" I pointed out.
"Too easy," Evens objected.
"Look, if something is easy, why are you complaining? You should be happy!"
"When has anything in life ever been easy, Potter? I get suspicious when everything goes according to plan! And we still haven't found Perdita; you're forgetting that. What good are her cloak and ring without her? Exactly my point," she tossed her head.
"It's at times like this when I'm lost in a forest with a pessimist trying to track down a firewitch with absolutely no evidence to go on as to where she is, that I really wish I'd listened to what my Ma told me when I was little!"
"Of course you do, but that's your problem. Look, am I the only one who is getting the creeps from being here? Let's find Perdita and get out of here!"
Accentios slung the cloak over her arm "Well, if we're going to look for her, we might as well start now. Does anyone have any pockets? I need somewhere to put the ring."
No one had.
"Put it on your finger," Gem suggested, not unreasonably.
"OK," Accentios made to do as Gem had suggested, but dropped the ring suddenly, "Ow!"
"Whatsever's the matter?" Evens asked, frowning.
"It... it burnt me!"
"Don't be silly!"
"It did!"
We exchanged looks. Accentios massaged her fingers. They had turned slighty red, as if she had indeed been burnt.
"Look," Evens bent down "it was probably just your imagin- ow!" She, too, had begun to slide the ring up one of her fingers... with the same result.
"Well..." Moony looked mildly surprised, "That's that, then.Just carry it in your hand, Ana or someone."
"Someone else try it," Lily persisted "Gem, Pettigrew, Lupin, or you, Jennifer Potter. One of you people."
"No," I objected, "I like my fingers as they are, thanks."
"You would," Evens scowled at me "you're hopeless, I hope you know that."
"So people tell me," I said, and grinned at her, just to annoy the little toady.
"You are so annoying!" she shreiked. Duh!
"Please, can you two put a bung in it?" Remus complained again.
"Whatever. Look, can someone put the damn ring on!"
"Why don't you?"
"I've already tried that, you utter imbeciele."
"I'll try," Moony offered. Again, the same result.
"Oh, this is pointless!" Gem grabbed the ring "I never knew such a lot of whingers! Honestly!" she slid it up her finger "There, you see? Nothing. God, you lot are such wimps."
We glanced at each other. Well, that was an interesting occurrence. Maybe the others had been faking it. Or maybe not. Who knows? Who cares?! It was done and dusted, so, therefore, it didn't matter to me, for at least another few minutes.
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MOONY'S POV
My finger, which I had tried to put the ring on, had turned red, as if scalded by red- hot metal... and yet the ring was stone cold, and it certainly didn't seem to give Gem any trouble.
Truth be told, the other thing that surprised me was how quickly we had found what we were looking for. It's very rare that my life goes so smoothly. Very rare indeed. Maybe I should have known better then just to accept it. Maybe we all should have known better then to try and touch the ring, which as Perdita had hinted, held all sorts of magic.
Maybe Gem should have known better then to not be suspicious when the ring didn't hurt her at all.
Maybe I should have known better then to assume that nothing would come of having such good friends.
But it's all too late for that now. There's nothing I can do about what happened that night. It's engraved in time, until the centuries come and cover it up, and it becomes just one of those things you read about in books.
"Well," I said, after the moment of quiet, "Who knows where we're supposed to go now. Peter?"
"I dunno..."
"Accentios?"
"Perdita said... she'd be near water. The lake?"
"That makes sense."
"For a change," said James, truthfully.
"Shut up, Potter," Evens moaned. She was beginning to annoy me. A lot.
We half- knew what direction the lake was in. So saying, we set off, talking more, now that the task had become so very much easier.
I noticed that as we went along, Gem seemed to grow steadily slower, sagging along behind the main group. I stopped to walk behind with her. Her face looked almost grey, and she seemed to be needing all the energy she could muster into moving, even at this slow speed.
"Gem, are you all right?"
She nodded "I'm... fine. Just... a little tired..." she pushed a lock of her dark hair off of her face, "my joints... they've gone a bit stiff, but I suppose I'm just a bit... you know... bone- weary," she rubbed her eyes.
"Can you two not dawdle so?" Evens complained, loudly.
"Gem's tired," I told her. Evens tutted, as though this was no reson to lag behind, and tossed her head.
"No..." Gem looked as though she was being pulled down by a dead weight, "I'll be all right... I know..." it was then that she fell to the ground.
"What a bloody pillock," Evens complained.
"Don't be so unfair!" I defended Gem, "you could at least be a little more sympathetic. Come on, Gem, get up. Ignore her."
Gem did not move a muscle.
"What's wrong?" Accentios and Peter frowned at us.
"Gem's fell over, and she's just lying there in the mud," James complained "she's not doing 'owt."
I tired to pull Gem up. She flopped like a rag doll.
"Gem? Gem, are you all right?" Accentios leaned over, and peered into Gem's motionless face.
"Don't be stupid," Evens interrupted, "of course she isn't. Wake up, Gem!" She shook Gem, who lolled from side to side.
"Ooh," Peter moaned "Everything always goes so wrong...! Gem! Gem, stop mucking about, do..."
"Maybe... it's something to do with the ring?" I suggested "I mean, like, she only got tired after she put it on, after all."
"Don't be silly, Lupin," Evens scowled "a ring can't make you collapse. She's just had a long day. I know she was awake most of last night."
"But, we don't know," pointed out James "we might as well take it off her. It can't do any harm."
"All right, fine," Evens shrugged "Do it, then."
I hoped that Gem would be all right. She was my friend; one of my oldest friends. She simply had to be all right again... I didn't think I could stand to see her die, as Adam had done almost two years ago. I told myself that I was being over- dramatic as usual, that everything would be OK, and that I was kidding myself.
I could only hope that the side of me telling myself that was right.
_____________________________________GEM'S POV____________________________________________
I was so tired, that I just collapsed. Evey movement I made took so much effort it made me ache more with each step. I just couldn't walk a step father.
All was dark. I couldn't see anything... it took me some moments to get used to the gloom. I wasn't in the forest any more. Nothing moved. I could hear my name being called, but I didn't answer. I don't know why. I suppose it just... didn't occur to me to reply to the voice.
Then I saw the two red, lamp like eyes staring at me. As red as the stone in the ring I was wearing. Just two red, disembodied globes of light, hanging in the darkness. Staring.
I tried to speak, but my throat felt like it had been tied in a knot, and I couldn't.
I could feel the eyes boring into me. Whatever they belonged to, if felt sure, was a creature of evil. My breath caught in my throat as they came, slowly towards me. I tried to run. I couldn't. I tried to scream. I couldn't. The only part of me I could move was my arm and hand, where the ring was. It was burning into my skin.
I thrust my arm out in front of me, to try and hod the creature off, but not really expecting it to do any good. To my amazement, the eyes drew back, and I could hear a snarling noise, like an angry animal.
I took a deep breath, and willed my legs to move. They did. They scissored into long strides, beyond my control, and as I moved, I could hear the thud of footsteps behind me, and sometimes caught a glimpse of the animal's eyes, glowing like the pit of Hell.
Then I tripped over something. I found myself falling to the ground, and sliding down a steep slope. I could hear a voice, calling my name. No voice I reconised, though.
"Gemini! Gem! Gemini Fairfax!"
I wondered at how the voice knew my real name. I rarely used it, and the only Hogwarts students who knew it were my friends. Everyone else knew me as Gem Littleson.
There was no time to wonder at it, as the footsteps behind me were drawing steadily nearer.
"Gem! Gemini! Answer me!"
"What!" I gasped, trying to catch my breath, still running, although my legs were aching like mad.
"Gem, listen to me!"
"I am!"
"Gem, the ring will protect you! Do not run, but never take off the ring!"
"Who... who are you?" I gasped "why should I trust you?"
"Trust me..." the voice seemed to fade as if it were a breath of win "just trust me. We will meet again. Farewell!" It petered out. Now the only noises I could hear were my and the animal's - if that was what it was- footsteps.
I made a snap decision. I had reached the bottom of the slope, and it was now easier to stop running. I stood, screwed up my eyes, and held the hand with the ring on out in front of me.
The beast stopped, and seemed to shrink back, snarling and spitting like a polecat.
Gaining confidence, I opened my eyes, and walked towards it, hesitantly, my heart beat drumming in my ears.
The red glow from the eys seemed to grow fainter. It looked like I would be able to beat this... this thing.
Then I screamed, and the ring was slid off of my finger, as if by an invisable hand.
The beast's eyes regained their brightness, and it continued towards me.
I screamed again, as I saw the features of it's face, cruel and twisted, as evil as a demon out of hell.
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WOOOHOOOO!!!! I overcame my writor's block! :) AND I wrote soemthing that I left in a totally evil place!
Oh yeah... could you guys read and review 'To Die; To Sleep No More', which is the series I am doing after this one... I have only got 3 reviews for part 1 *sniffle* ! After that, I am doing 'Lily and James; My Eyes Are Fully Open' and I have plans for something else after that. I have about 10000 different ideas to write about and I'm gonna go crazy[er]... lolz.
READ & REVIEW AND IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE FIGURED OUT ANY PLOT-
TWISTS, DONT' WRITE THEM IN THE REVIEW BECAUSE THE SPOILS IT FOR
OTHER PEOPLE!!!!!
Ta
Ginny :)
