(Disclaimer: I own nothing.)
(Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews guys! Ok, I want romance to blossom soon so I'm trying my best…um…I hope it'll come, I can't help rambling! It's so hard not to…I don't know what to do! I get all these ideas I want to use but I can't seem to find a way to stick them in here! Well, here's the next chapter, Later babes! Stay crunk with losta love from Sea Chelle)
Chapter Eight
Sirius turned and walked off in an angry huff not looking back but feeling the eyes of James watching him go. When he was in the common room, he started beating up the replacement of the flamed armchair by the fire. Everyone in the room was watching somewhat in amusement, but Lydia asked him, "What are you doing, Sirius?" in concern. After a last punch that broke the skin on his knuckles, he turned to look at the three girls that were looking at him. Gwen was presently talking with Andrea about something or other.
"Nothing." And then he sat in the armchair, glaring at the fireplace. "Nothing's wrong, nothing at all." Hallie was grinning by now.
"Oh, wow. You have a nice bruise on your cheekbone." He glared and pointed a finger at her.
"You just shut your mouth." And then he painfully touched his cheek. "He punched me. Can you believe it? He punched me! Just gave me a sock right here!"
Lily asked, "Who, James?"
"Yes, James!" She sighed and walked up to the dormitory leaving Lydia and Hallie staring at Sirius with strange looks.
"Er – Sirius, you aren't about to do anything – er – drastic, are you?" asked Hallie looking at him carefully. Lydia looked from her to him.
He smirked. "Only you would think I'd do something like that." She rolled her eyes.
"Because you're a nitwit, you're the type to do stupid things! I mean, really stupid things. Even when you know you're going to get caught, or –"
"You're not helping, Hallie." She looked up at him from her shoes, which she seemed to be speaking to.
"Oh, er –" she laughed, "right."
"I'm awfully tired, Hal, I'm going up to the dorm." The other girl looked to Lydia who had an unknown twinkle in her eyes.
"What? It's only eight thirty! How the heck can you be tired?" Lydia shrugged and left. Hallie looked to Sirius who was still looking at the fire.
"Are you going to talk at all? I'm bored." He turned to her.
"You want me to talk?"
"Only if you have something intelligent to say. And nothing perverted please."
"Ha, ha."
Lily stepped quietly into the boys' dormitory to find James sitting at the window. "James?" He turned to look at her. His cheeks were tear-stained and his eyes were red and puffy. She walked briskly to him. "What is it? What's the matter?"
"My parents," he said softly. She nodded and gave him a comforting hug. "I dreamt it and it happened again. It always comes true." Lily didn't understand a word of his ramblings but nodded and whispered soft words into his ear like her mother used to do for her when she woke in the middle of the night because of a bad dream.
"It's all right, James, it's going to be all right." For a few moments, they sat at the window together in a warm embrace and the sight was a sweet one. Then James stood up.
"I need to get away from here for a little while." He picked up his broom and opened the window with his wand, and then he pocketed it. Mounting, he turned to look at her. "You can come if you'd like." She smiled and nodded in assent. Lily climbed onto the broom behind him and put her arms around his waist. They took off into the night with only the moon as their guide.
Together on the broom, Lily and James were in flight, soaring above the clouds, feeling the breeze brush through their robes and hair. It was a feeling of great content and their other thoughts were swept away in this short moment of bliss.
Lily had never in her life seen such a sight. Everything below seemed to shrink in size as they climbed higher in the air. She smiled and leaned in closer to James for her thin robes were nothing against the chill air of the late autumn. Lily felt him stiffen a bit against her but then relax as he did several loops and dives. She laughed and smiled blithely when he in turn did as well. Everything would be all right. She wanted to comfort him as well as he comforted her in her time of need.
James felt her hug him tightly and felt a tad uncomfortable so he did a few tricks on his broom making him feel more relaxed. He felt as if things would turn out right soon. Lily seemed to have that impact on him. She made him feel relaxed and as if everything else were just an unimportant blur. He sighed and a soft smile appeared on his lips as he turned to look at her. Her flaming red hair seemed to be alight and on fire in the silver of the moon while her emerald green eyes shone brilliantly as if the switch had turned to on. He noticed how pretty she looked.
Lily turned to see James looking at her with a new look in his eyes. She just smiled back. He looked so cute with his hair messed and untidy as it always was, but now it was blowing in the wind giving it an extra bit of cuteness. His pale blue eyes seemed paler, but were gaining that glowing life that was always present in them.
James soared high into the sky once more before diving onto a platform next to the Shrieking Shack. It was on a mountain with a soft clearing. They dismounted the broom and sat overlooking Hogsmead.
Lily looked at the Shrieking Shack and involuntarily shivered. "James, is it really haunted?" He was quiet for a moment, but then turned to look at her.
"Huh?"
She grinned, "Never mind." Lily bit down on her lip and hugged her knees because of the cold. It seemed chillier than normally today but she pushed that thought away from her mind. James looked over at her with a soft smile and put an arm around her shoulder to warm her up. She smiled back appreciatively.
Sirius nodded and clapped his hands together at the awkward silence. "So…" Hallie, who was looking at the ashes of the fire, turned her gaze up to him.
"Apologize," she told him. His expression changed to one of bewilderment.
"What? To whom?" But her stare was back to fire so he waved a hand in front of her face, which she slapped away.
"To James, you idiot." He stared at her.
"Apologize – to – to James? Are you kidding me?" he asked incredulously. She shook her head.
"No, you don't know what he's been through," was her simple reply.
"What, and you do?" In his response was silence. "You know what? You're different than how I thought you were."
She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "How so? Weirder?" He grinned.
"Took the words right from my mouth."
"You mean word, I took the word right from your mouth." He glared at her.
"Of course, Miss Know-It-All." He stood and started towards the boys' dormitory.
"Where're you going?" Hallie asked him. Sirius looked at her.
"Going to apologize of course," he said. She grinned as he left.
Sirius went up the steps to the boys' dormitory. When he got there, he looked around the room to find no one there. "James?" he called into the emptiness. He saw that the window was open. There was no reply and he wasn't really expecting one. He made his way back downstairs. When he got there, Andrea and Gwen were going back to the dormitory, as were others for it was getting late. Hallie was helping Frank Longbottom find his frog Trevor.
"I'm sure it's around her somewhere," she told him reassuringly. He just shook his head and grinned. "Oh! I know! I don't know why it didn't come to me before! Accio Trevor!" She chanted with her wand into the air.
"That isn't a very good idea," said Frank in a singsong voice. She just smiled angelically at him and patted his shoulder.
"Yes it is, we just have to wait a while." And then something big flew from the other side of the room towards her. Hallie pushed him off her and sat up. The boy shook his head and blinked at her. "Your name's Trevor, isn't it?" The first year nodded. She smiled apologetically. "So sorry, I was trying to help him" she gestured to Frank "find his frog. Coincidentally, you and his frog both have the same name." She stood and offered the small boy a hand and he gladly took it. "Sorry!" And then he walked back to his place with his friends and told them what had happened. They broke out into laughter.
Frank opened his mouth to speak. "I –"
But Hallie cut him off saying; "Don't you say 'I told you so'."
Frank laughed. "I wasn't, I was going to say, 'I think someone wants to talk to you'." He pointed to Sirius who was watching with an expression of amusement upon his face. She put her hands on her hips.
"What're you smirking at? Wipe it off or I'll slap it off for you." He rolled his eyes.
"Dear Hallie, must you speak so violently?" Frank laughed at them both.
"I'll leave you guys now, g'night guys." Sirius nodded and Hallie waved.
"Tell me if James comes back will you?" asked Sirius. Frank nodded and with a last salute, he escaped up the steps. Hallie looked at Sirius.
"You scared him away." The boy just put a hand through his hair. "What did you mean when you said, 'tell me if James comes back'?"
"Just what I said, he wasn't in the dormitory." An expression of pondering flew to the girl's face.
"But Lily was with him. Maybe they went to the girls' dorms?" He shrugged. She walked up to the dormitory and he followed. She poked her head through. "Hey, girls, is Lily or James in here?"
Gwen looked up from her magazine. "Lily's not here, but why would James be in here?"
Andrea wrapped her blankets around herself. "He isn't in here is he?" she asked suspiciously. Sirius, who was behind Hallie and unseen, stifled a laugh. "Hey, who's behind you?"
"Er – no one, thanks guys, bye!" Then she closed the door and punched Sirius' shoulder.
"Hey! What's that for?" She just shrugged. "Okay then. 'He isn't in here is he?'" said Sirius, mimicking Andrea. The two burst out laughing.
"It does sound like something he would do, or you." He just shook his head and walked to the boys' dorms. "Where're you going?"
"I'm going to find James, and Lily," he replied.
"Oh. Let me come!" she said.
"Whatever."
"Thanks for the welcome."
"No problem." She punched his shoulder. "Hey! Why do you keep hitting me?" he exclaimed. She smiled sweetly.
"You're so hittable…"
"That isn't a word."
"It is now."
"I think you meant, irresistible."
"Fat chance." They walked up to the boys' dormitories where Frank was reading his book.
"Hey!" he cried. "Hallie, you're a girl!"
She gave him a look. "Wonderful observation." The boy rolled his eyes. Frank was tall for his age and had a kind and cute face. It was round and looked as if it was always ready for a smile.
"No – I mean – you – you can't be in here!" She shrugged. Sirius dropped on all fours to look under his bed where he rummaged through his things. After a short while, he went to his trunk where he rummaged through it as well. Finally, he pulled out his broom. Hallie looked at it with her eyes widening.
"What's that for?" He looked at her fearful expression and grinned.
"For riding. I'm going to look for them in the air."
"Oh – er – can't we walk – or – or something like that?" she stammered still looking at the broom. Sirius shook his head and smirked evilly.
"No. Why?"
"You know why."
"Enlighten me on this piece of information."
"Because."
"Because…?"
"Because I'm afraid of heights! You of all people should know that!" He just smiled as he mounted. "And we can't go that way."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Will you stop with the one word answers?"
"Fine." He rolled his eyes and Frank watched the dispute in amusement.
"Why can't we look for them this way?"
"Because I don't have a broom with me." He sighed.
"Then we have to double."
"No."
"No what?"
"I'm not doubling with you! And I'm not touching you! You're dirty! Who knows where you've been! And – and I don't trust you. You'll drop me over the lake or something." Sirius looked impatient.
"I'm not dirty. And I won't drop you over the lake or anything, though; it seems like a very tempting idea. And you don't have to double with me on one condition." She looked at him expectantly. Frank, meanwhile, was trying to cover his laughter by putting his face into his pillow. "You don't come." She made an aggravated noise.
"I'm going."
"Then hop on." She looked at the broom, then to him. "Don't you trust me?" he asked holding out a hand out to her. Hallie, taking a deep breath, took it and mounted the broom behind him. "Hold on."
"Don't worry about that part." And then she put her hands around his waist and held on tightly while shutting her eyes.
"Not – too hard – Hallie," Sirius squeaked. She lightened her grip but not by much. Grinning wickedly, Sirius turned to Frank. "Just let it out, buddy, holding it in just makes it grow." Frank burst into loud laughter. Hallie opened her eyes to look at the boy.
"What're you laughing at, Frank?" she asked softly with her voice ending in a squeak. Frank's laughter died, and then erupted again. She opened her mouth to speak but Sirius took flight into the night flying high. The last thing Frank heard was Hallie's screams of "I hate you, Sirius Black!"
(Author's Note: Here are my reviews.
Thank you coolerthanu for the review and suggestions! I really appreciate it!
Thanks to ~destiny~ for the review! I'm going to start chapter nine right after I finish posting this. Hope you like it!
I love you all, my loyal reviewers! LOL. Later babes and stay crunk with lotsa love from Sea Chelle)
