And They Live Happily Ever After…?
'Mr.Potter, how many times must I tell you that you shouldn't use magic in the corridors?' McGonagall cried out in exasperation, running towards them.
'But he attacked me first!' James protested, pointing at Snape. Severus Snape just stuck his tongue out at him.
'I didn't,' he drawled casually.
'You did!' Lily accused, pointing an accusing right-hand index finger at the Slytherin.
'Shut up, Mudblood.' Lily, James and Professor McGonagall went white with anger.
'How dare you, Mr.Snape, to insult Evans like that before me! Detention to you and 5 points off Slytherin house,' McGonagall said sharply.
'You little snake!' Lily hissed, balling up her hand into a small fist. 'I'll personally tear you from your bones!'
'Fighting me, eh?'
Lily made some odd hissing noise.
'Why you…!' James gritted, gripping his wand tightly.
Snape threw his head to the back and laughed madly before strutting off in a manner very likely resembling the description he'd like people to pin on him, which is the "I'm a pompous, obnoxious, huge ego-ed Slytherin and I'm proud of it. I know I'm strutting, and you don't have to tell me that, because I'm just pretending that I don't know that I'm strutting, you stupid fool!" style, and his hands in his pockets.
'No walking around with your hands in your pockets!' Professor McGonagall yelled after him. Snape ignored her. 'Hey, come back here!' she called, running after the Slytherin.
'Rotten egg,' James muttered, pocketing his wand.
'Unhygenic git,' Lily hissed in agreement.
'Oily Vampire.'
'Overgrown bat.'
'Stupid obnoxious show-off moron that deserves nothing but a punch in the face.'
'Useless black sheep of the society and deserves a whole lot more than just a punch in the face.'
The two nodded at each other with unsaid agreement very happily.
'Hi, James!' Spica called, running over to them. 'Hi, Lily!'
'What happened to Sirius this time?' Lily inquired.
'Oh, nothing happened. He just choked on several mandrake leaves, I should think. Tomorrow's Hogsmeade visit day,' Spica said. She turned to James and fixed him a puppy-dog eye, 'Will you come with me? I'm picking up something for Sirius, and I'm not as good as you are in his taste of present.'
James shrugged. 'Sure. Lily can come, too. She has great taste, especially for presents for Sirius.' It wasn't exactly an insult, but Lily waved it off in an annoyed fashion. Spica nearly glared.
'I'm going to Professor Sayeen for my Divination homework,' Lily said in irritance. 'Can't go, sorry.'
'Oh, it's okay,' Spica said cheerfully. 'So I'll see you tomorrow, James!'
~ * * ~
After much persuasion, Sirius finally left for Three Broomsticks (James managed to bribe him with a few sickles), leaving Spica and James alone to shop for his oncoming birthday present. It was a pretty cold day, and after several attempts of telling Spica that getting Sirius some snow and dead fir tree branches is No Use because Sirius could get it anytime himself, James managed to pull her into Dervish and Banges.
'Get this sneakoscope,' James said. 'It'll be use—'
'Sirius already has one,' Spica replied. 'Why can't we get him the fir tree branch? It's nice!'
'Because, idiot, it's stupid for a Christmas present. Use your head, would you? What about this mirror? He needs one very badly.'
'Mirrors are boring,' Spica said, yawning to punctuate her sentence. James looked her over.
'I take your word for it,' he muttered. Spica's short black hair was unruly and uncombed. Her cheeks were smudgy, and she probably hadn't noticed the ketchup sauce on her forehead yet, her souvenir from breakfast.
'Pardon?'
'Nothing! Let's just get him a forest cloak, since he keeps doing detention in the forest.'
'Okay.' Spica grabbed the green cloak and paid for it at the counter. James yawned. It was such a boring shopping, and Spica isn't much of a conversationalist. He's just glad that it's over, and he can join Sirius with a frizzling cup of butterbeer. Yum. He could almost taste the warm, tantalizing sizzle on his taste buds.
'C'mon James, let's go for a walk!' Spica suggested, skipping out of the shop. James groaned.
'No… I'm tired!'
'Please? There's something really important I need to tell you. James raised his eyes in spite of the chilling frost, which forced him to squint his. Sirius told her about the help he needed already? That was fast, considering that he usually waited for at least one month.
'Okay, we can go to that stile there,' James said finally, wrapping his scarf even tighter around him. Jack Frost was chilly today.
'James, this is really important,' Spica said solemnly. 'I need to know what you think of it. Promise me that you'll give me honest opinions and answers. Go on, James, promise me.'
James felt the hope gauge falling. Hah! High chances that she remembers what Sirius tells her, then!
'Fine, I promise.' Spica took a deep breath.
'I know I shouldn't have but I can't help it. I'm in love with you, James. I love you because of your caring attitude to me,' Spica said, without missing a single beat.
'Um, excuse me?' James said in puzzlement. Spica repeated what she had just said a little more slowly.
Open mouth. Close. Open mouth. Close. That was just what James Potter is doing: gaping.
'You- you're joking again, aren't you?' he stammered. 'I mean, hasn't Sirius told you yet?'
'Told me what?'
'To find…'
'No, he didn't say anything about anything,' Spica shrugged. 'So, what do you think, Jimmy? I think you love me, too, or you wouldn't have agreed on this date, and—'
'This is a date?!' James very nearly yelled. Now the frost is really getting him.
'Well, why, yes, it is. And you don't treat Lily as nice as you treat me. You call her names and insults and all, and you two are constantly arguing or else staring daggers at each other,' Spica said in her lilting British accent.
'What?!' James was shocked. This is how Spica is seeing his and Lily's relationship? Enemies?!
Er, well, that's kind of true.
'Um, aren't I right?' Spica said uncertainly. 'That's why I decided that you must love me, because I'm the next girl you know since childhood days. You didn't pay the other girls much attention.' She paused. 'You do love me, don't you?'
'No!' James said hurriedly, realizing at once what she meant. He was seriously wondering if her ego's as big as her twin brother's. What dreadfulness! 'I don't love you, Spice! I kind of… liked another girl.'
'You… don't love me?'
'No.'
'You… love another girl?'
'Yes.' James could tell that this conversation is sounding rather stupid. He's just merely repeating facts, and facts are boring.
'Who's she?' Spica whispered. James quietly stared at the ground. Okay, it's not much of the facts anymore, since he might have to lie a little here. This conversation is boring. 'Tell me, James, who she is. I won't tell her.'
'I- I can't tell,' James said uneasily.
'Then why do you like her? What does she have that I don't?'
James felt like saying 'a look in the mirror' but decided against it. It'll be the dumbest thing to say to a teenage girl.
'She- she's witty,' James suggested.
'So am I.'
'She's smart.'
'So am I.' Talk about big egos! She certainly has her brother's ego, then! Only that hers is a tad bit bigger.
'She's, um, sane?' James suggested weakly. 'And she's very – um, NOT very – er, nice to me.' Spica just nodded in disappointment, knowing that she hasn't got much of sanity (and proud of it!) and could never compete anyone at that.
'Who is she?' Spica asked finally after a long pause of awkward and boring silence. 'Do I know her?'
'Er, yes.'
'Is she in Hogwarts?'
'Yes. Look, Spica, don't take this too seriously, okay?' James said worriedly.
'Nah, I won't!' Spica said with an assuring grin.
'Oh, send Sirius a message, would you?'
'Sure.'
'Tell him that I don't need his help anymore,' James said. 'I swear, your brother's an idiot!!!' Spica giggled.
'I will, if I remembered. If you ever find out from that girl, tell me. Or if you'd confessed to her.' She stood up from the stile and gave James a peck on his cheek. 'By the way, Potter, I was just joking about loving you,' she whispered into James's ear. 'I'm currently dating Tippy Gleste, if you weren't such a daft kid to not to notice. Just thought I should find out what you've been hiding these days.'
James's face spread into a very broad grin.
'Why you little cheating scum!' he cried, laughing.
'Toodles!' Spica called, running off. 'And learn to live with a joke!'
James grinned at the girl as she ran off to join her brother at Three Broomsticks.
~ * * ~
'Hey low!' Lily greeted cheerfully. 'So how was your day – oops, pardon, I mean date – with our dear Spica?' James coughed as he strained to not to laugh, remembering the event an hour or so ago.
'Normal,' James replied, placing his coat down.
'I'm glad you got yourself a new girlfriend,' Lily trilled sarcastically, 'but I don't think she'll stand you calling her "tomboy." That is, if you ever DO call her tomboy. Probably too good a girl for you, huh Potter?'
'Excuse me? Spica and I grabbed Sirius a present and left just like that! Besides, no one can ever stand being called a tomboy BUT a tomboy,' he said. 'In which you fall into such category,' he added with a self-righteous smirk.
Lily decided to ignore him. After all, ,she get called that nearly everyday of her life, minus the few years that James and her had never met before.
'So what did you get for Sirius? A monster in a jukebox? He'll love it.'
'Gee, I wish I'd thought of that… no, we got him a forest cloak.'
'Just nice for him too, since McGonagall is fond of the Forbidden Forest these days!' Lily said, holing up a white envelope. 'Mother sent us a letter. I think she's missing us this Christmas. Have you got any dungbombs left? Petunia needs to stop pestering us! I've had enough of witch burning already. Seriously, you would've thought that she read our History books to come up with all those excuses!'
'Well, I have a boxful left,' James said, straining hard to think. Lily pulled out a white paper from the also white envelope and read the letter.
'Er, maybe we should skip dungbombs altogether,' she gulped. 'Dad just died, and by the looks of the ink'—she turned the letter to James to show him messy blotches and streaks—'it's tear-stained.'
'Ah! And how did he die?' James asked slowly. Lily didn't seem to care or quiver with emotion. Her face was just hard.
'I don't know and positively don't care at all. But he didn't take care of mum at all, irresponsible muggle,' Lily gritted. 'Never really come home much.'
'Um.' Was all James could say.
'I don't like him THAT much anyway. I hardly even know him! Still, mum said that he left us the house and everything he own and blah blah blah,' Lily rattled boringly. James just nodded. Mr.Evans is – er, was – one of the millionaires. 'Business, too, but that's for his secretary to manage. Not my problem.'
'Your mum's in depression, though,' James said reasonably. 'We should be nice to her this holiday, and not make her get mad again.' Lily look at the letter again, as if to impend her decision.
'True,' she said finally with a small sigh. 'This leads to no Petunia-torturing this holiday, then.'
~ * * ~
'What took you two morons so long?' Petunia bawled, tapping her foot impatiently. 'Mum's having a fever, and I have no idea on how to deal with it! You stupid wizard and witch probably haven't got a clue, huh?'
'She's having a fever?' Lily gasped before dashing up the stares, three at a time, all at once.
'I knew it! You both are FRAUDS! Witch and wizard know about things! I bet you two lied and go somewhere to have fun!' Petunia said with a huge smirk on her bony cheeks.
'We're NOT frauds! Would you like me to turn you into a toad to prove that?' James said in annoyance, dumping their trunks onto the floor.
'Well, you are, because wizards are suppose to tell the future!' Petunia snickered. James winced. Divination had never been his best subject.
'Shut up, or I'll make you croak!'
Lily tiptoed into her mother's room. 'Mum? Mum, are you alright?' she asked quietly, kneeling by her mother's bed.
'I'm fine, Lily, I'm fine. Why don't you unpack first?' Lisa said, smiling weakly at her beloved daughter. Lily choked a little.
'Why are you like this? Is it because of dad again?'
'No, sweetie. Get some rest. You must be tired, from your journey.' Lisa coughed heavily. Lily gulped uncertainly before feeling her head for temperature. She withdraw her hand hurriedly in reaction.
'Mum… mum, you're burning! How high is your temperature?' the girl choked, biting her lips.
'Oh, it's just a mere 40°c, dear, nothing much. I'll be okay,' Lisa said, smiling.
'That's- that's- MUM! What did the doctor say?' Lily quivered. The temperature was high. How could her mother say that it's a mere fever? How could she? Lily's petite figure was shaking with uncertainty and with fear. What will happen?
'I'll li- live through it,' Lisa stuttered. 'Now dear, if you don't mind, I'd like to rest for a while.'
'Yes, mum,' Lily whispered, standing up. 'Sweet dreams. I- I love you, mum.'
'I love you too, Lily. Please shut the door when you go out, that's a dear.' Lily closed the door quietly and turned towards her room.
'How is she?' James asked, when he saw Lily walking – or rather, stumbling – towards her room.
'Bad,' Lily sighed. She bit her lips. 'Dad died, making her worry so. It's all HIS fault! I hate him! She might die, James!!! She might die! I don't want her to die,' Lily cried, shedding a few drops of tears onto James's shirt. James patted her shoulder and hugged her tightly.
'She won't, Lily. Why would she? And why would you want her to die anyway,' James asked gently, making a feeble attempt at trying to lighten her heart. Lily looked up and glared at him sourly.
'How? How would you know that she wouldn't die? I saw a grim in my teacup! And- and a serpent, too!'
'The cup is yours, Lil,' James reminded. 'That's your cup, not your mother's.'
'You aren't helping at all, James Potter. Not a single bit,' Lily whispered. She blew her nose on his shirt and left for her room through the connecting bathroom. James winced, but wisely said nothing.
Lily dropped onto her bed and stared numbly at the bookshelf. She needed to get the stupid divination thing out of her head. James was right, it was her cup, not her mother's. Her green eyes traced to a thick book. She pulled it out and stared at it before turning its cover.
Dear
Lily,
Merry Christmas. Sorry I couldn't make it back.
Love, your father.
The girl gritted her teeth at the word "love." It was most probably her mother's love for her father, who had supposedly loved his career over everything else, that made her this sick. It's all his fault. Lily felt like ripping the page off, but couldn't bring herself to it, for some unknown reason. She flipped the thick pages to the fairytale book randomly, her green eyes staring past the book at something unseen.
Her eyes caught a random sentence. Happily ever after.
Instantly, she had a mind flashback of her reading the very same book, the very same sentence five years ago. She didn't really care for her father leaving, then. He was a burly, cold man with a very formal air and a man who wants to take control. He had left her a Christmas present after all, and that is all that matters.
And James. He was taken in by Lisa, who was to be a guardian of the young Potter when his parents met an accident. Or whatever it was that she, Lily, was led to believe. James had teased her. He like teasing her.
"You're such a tomboy, no one'll ever like you!" he had laughed. And then, just a month ago, he had confessed that he loved her.
Love. That hated word. The dreaded emotion. It costs nothing – nothing! – but troubles. Now love is going to take her beautiful mother from her. The love for a man Lily hate.
Love. Hah. Brings the topic back to James Potter.
She'd known James ever since she was – what, three? Whatever. It doesn't really matter. James had caught her climbing a tree in the backyard. His very first word had been "Tomboy!!"
Now she's thirteen. And he fell in love with her?? What a joke!
With that, Lily buried her face into the puffy pillow and sobbed.
~ * * ~
Lily walked down the stairs sleepily, yawning all the way. She had an odd dream about her being some detective and James being her partner in job. She grinned. Right, like she and James would ever work together! Hah! Still, that dream WAS odd. There was something that involve a group of twenty or so kids in a cafeteria, a wheelchair, a wand, walkie-talkies and cliffs. How did the cliff get into the café anyway?
'Must've been Sirius and Spica's influence,' she groaned.
'Of what?' James asked.
'Damaging my brain,' Lily muttered. 'Rotten dream. Woke me up at five, six, seven-thirty and either. Ugh.'
'Well, you seem much better this morning,' James said brightly. 'You were crying yourself to sleep last night anyway, so it's just no wonder that you had an odd dream.'
Lily glared. Did he peeked into her room?
'Can you fix me breakfast? Mum's not up yet,' Petunia said.
'Who do you think I am, huh?' Lily growled. 'Make your own food, Petunia. You're nine already, for crying out loud!'
'James?' Petunia said hopefully.
'You've got to be dreaming, junior Evans. Hm, toast sounds nice for a morning like this.'
'You two are going to make good but I can't eat it?' Petunia said with a horrified face. The two thirteen year olds nodded in reply. 'That's so unfair!!! MUM!!!!!!!!!!!! MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
'Mum needs her rest, Petunia,' Lily said. 'Make your own tea and bread, because I don't care a tuppence for your stomach.'
'Mummy!!! Lily is bullying me!!! Mum!!! Waaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!'
'Shut up, Petunia,' James said. Petunia, obviously not pleased about being so casually ignored by the teenagers and Lisa, sprinted up the stairs before Lily and James could even think of stopping her.
Petunia ran to her mother's room and threw the door open violently to the serene blue walls of the room. The curtains were not drawn, the lampshade was a little crooked, and on the bed, Lisa lay. Petunia dashed to her.
'Mum, don't ignore me! Wake up, mummy, and scold them! They wouldn't fix me ANYTHING to eat!'
'Petunia!' James yelled, running in.
'Mum! Lily and James are bullying me!' she wailed. 'They're—'
'Petunia Evans! GET OUT!' Lily hissed, pulling her sister away. Petunia grabbed at the door.
'Mummy! Mummy, scold them!'
Lisa barely even moved an inch. Lily, realizing the deathly silence, released her younger sister in shock and stumbled towards her mother's bed shakily. James followed closely. Petunia rushed to Lisa and began shaking her.
'Mummy, wake up!!!! Scold them, mum!'
The figure didn't move. With trembling fingers, Lily placed a finger under Lisa's nose. After about two minutes, she placed two fingers at her pale neck, where the pulse is.
Lily's knees felt wobbly as they crumble beneath her. Her face was simply white, as if it has excessive powder on it to create a zombie effect.
'James… oh, James…' she whispered, clinging onto her childhood friend for support. 'Please… take Petunia. Lock her out for a while…'
James obediently did so. In a minute, a screaming, bawling, kicking Petunia was locked out of the master bedroom. The girl screamed and shrieked threats and words that should never cross a girl of her age's lips.
'She… died…' Lily gulped. 'She died, James. Her- she's not moving- breathing and- and- no- no pulse and… oh, James, mother died!'
'Um, should I call the ambulance?' the boy suggested weakly when Lily began sobbing quietly on his shoulder uncontrollably, a few chokes and gasps and sniffles were the only thing heard from her. 'Er, Lily?' She shook her head numbly and continued sobbing.
'Lemme in!!! LET ME IN!!!! MUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!' Petunia yelled, banging the door with a lamp. James quietly opened the door, just as the lamp smashed onto the door with a shattering clatter of porcelain. Lily proceeded to cry upon her mother's lifeless form.
'NOOOOO!' Petunia wailed, when she saw Lily crying, knowing at one – at her instincts – that their mother had left.
~*~
AN: oh my, I'm so, so sorry for not posting!!!! *cries* I mean to, but I hadn't the chance to complete everything! I was horrendously busy and dad kept on dragging me to all sorts of places that haven't got any computer! I honestly promise though, that I'll do my best to get The Marauding Five: Year Six's chapter three out as soon as I can. Honestly! Tomorrow, just for being late at posting! Please, forgive me for posting so late!!! I don't intend to do so!!!! *wails out loud* and er, two more chapters to this story. Oh joy, anyone who took PMR [a.k.a. my OWLs :P] know when the results will be announced? Oh dear, I'm so worried!
And I hope I didn't offend anyone… I'm really sorry for not completing this earlier. *bows head in shame as she waits for people to start throwing rotten tomatoes at her*
And perhaps, you might want to review to make me feel better? I'm rather upset these days. I know I probably don't deserve it, but I'm just rather off-colour. Which explains why this chapter is short. Have a merry belated Christmas, and Noelle… HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
