(Disclaimer: I own nothing.)
(Author's Note: Hmm…what should happen next…?)
Chapter Nine
"It'll work out, you know that right, James?" Lily told him. He sighed and leaned against her with his head on her shoulder.
"I just – I don't know what to do now. They were – they –" he sighed in frustration. "They just meant so much to me. What am I supposed to do now?" James looked at her with renewed tears.
She hugged him and told him, "I know." He pushed her away.
"No you don't! You don't know!" She looked at him in alarm. He put his knees to his chest and cried into his arms. His body shook with his sobs.
"Tell me what you mean," she told him softly. She rubbed his back gently making his sobs slow.
"I can't, Dumbledore, he said – I – Lily, I can't." She looked at him for a moment.
"Did you tell, Sirius?" He looked up at her with a shadow of guilt upon his face. "That's what I thought. Then you can tell me."
"I should have told you before too…it's just, oh I don't know!" He looked at the scene before him without really seeing anything at all. "I have these dreams…and…I see things in them. It's so vivid, as if I'm really there. And…last night, I had a dream where my parents were" he swallowed "were killed by Voldemort." Lily's eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth in horror. "I know, and they're always haunting me – the dreams I mean. Whatever he does, a little before he does it, I have a dream of the incident. Before your parents were killed, I had a dream about it. And before Hallie's mom, I had a dream of Mrs. Forester at her concert when she died. They're like premonitions that are never wrong and I hate them! They just won't go away!" His voice cracked and he ran a hand through his hair as he brushed his tears away angrily. "Dumbledore said it was some sort of gift. Damned gift if it is one."
Lily said, "Premonitions? In your dreams?" He nodded and wiped away more tears.
"Dumbledore put a special charm on me when I came here, so that Voldemort wouldn't be able to find me even if he was standing in front of me, kind of like the Fidilius Charm. He says Voldemort was after my mum and dad…and he went rambling about something or other of why they're so important, then why the Dark Lord want's me dead too, I wasn't listening though…and now…now my parents are dead. They're dead." He fell into Lily's embrace. James put his head into her shoulder and cried while she rubbed his back. The wetness of his tears bled through her robes and chilled her when a breeze swept by but she didn't mind. She kissed his forehead gently.
"I'll be here for you, James, always. Just know that, ok?" He looked up and kissed her cheek.
"Thanks, Lily, for everything."
Hallie's grip on Sirius tightened when he did a loop making them go upside down. Her insides dropped and twirled inside her making Hallie shut her eyes and hang onto Sirius as if there were no tomorrow. Her breathing became labored and her head whirled wildly. She seriously thought as though pictures of her life would come flashing in her sight at any moment.
Finally, Sirius pulled out of his dive with a grin. "And Black has won the game!" he called out into the chilly night air. Laughing, he turned to look at Hallie who had her head buried in his shoulder blade. "Hallie?" A muffled reply came but he couldn't make out the words. "What was that?"
She detached her face from his robes. "You're so mean. I hate you."
"Anything new?" She turned to look away from him.
"Bring me back. I want to go back."
"What? Why?" he asked in puzzlement.
"Because I want to! I want to go back now!" He sighed and slowed the broom.
"I thought you wanted to help look for James and Lily," he said. She still didn't look at him.
"I do – did, but I don't want to go with you. I knew I couldn't trust you. You're just – you're so – so mean. I should have known I shouldn't have gone with you. I hate you."
Sirius dived slowly and felt Hallie squeeze his waist tightly. Then they landed on a clearing next to the Shrieking Shack. It was so dark that one wouldn't be able to see their hand if they put it straight out. She dismounted and stumbled over to a tree, which she sat next to, still not facing him. He sighed.
"I was just kidding around, Hallie." At this she jumped up to look at him with her eyes glowing in the darkness. The sapphire gaze was brighter than usual, he noted. She glared at him steadily.
Her voice was trembling when she spoke. "I told you I was afraid of heights! I told you! And yet you still have to do those little circle things and dives! Then you say you were just kidding around! What's the matter with you?" she shrieked at him. "I know you're a bit thick in the head but I didn't know you were this thick!" She turned and walked slowly to the edge of the clearing. Hallie cursed under her breath and took a seat once again.
"It was just a joke, you of all people should know what those are. I was joking," he told her softly. She ignored him completely. From the other side of the clearing he heard a rustle.
"Sirius? Is that you?" asked a voice. Sirius' face brightened.
"James!" He ran over to where the voice was and almost tripped over them. "Lily! You're here too! Lumos!" he chanted. The two smiled up at him.
"What're you doing here?" asked James in confusion.
"Looking for you, you stupid ol' bloke!" was Sirius' reply. Lily smiled at the two.
"Was that Hallie I heard too?" He nodded pointing at the edge of the precipice to where the other girl sat. Lily grinned and stood. "You two teamed up?"
Sirius nodded and rolled his eyes. "We had to double in my broom. And all that just to look for you lovers." James kicked his shins from the ground making the other boy fall backwards.
"Broom? Hallie rode a broom?" asked Lily whose smile faltered. "I thought she was afraid of heights."
"I am!" yelled a voice from the other end of the clearing. Lily walked over to her.
"You rode with Sirius?" Hallie glared at her through the darkness.
"Stupid – stupid, stupid, stupid idea," was the reply. "He did stupid circle things and those stupid dives I saw you do at the tryouts. Then he said he was joking." She paused. Then, "I hate you, Sirius Black!" was what she yelled to the other side of the clearing.
James grinned and then looked to Sirius who was still on the ground. "What'd you do?" he questioned accusingly. The other boy looked offended.
"What did I do? Why am I always blamed for everything?" He put on his most innocent solemn face at which James laughed. Looking wounded, Sirius put his hands on his hips and pretended to blink back tears. "It isn't my fault, think what I had to go through – riding a broom with a witch afraid of heights. She kept screaming in my ear every time I did a loop or a dive." James chuckled and shook his head.
"She's afraid of heights."
"Yeah, so? I'm afraid of maniac witches. We have to deal with everything some time, I don't go around screaming whenever I see Hallie walk by me."
The four students of Hogwarts sat admiring the view until the wind seemed to sweep past them more viciously. James looked up at the sky to see that the light of the moon was being overshadowed by the driving lucid wisps of the clouds. Lily looked over at him with confusion bright in her emerald eyes. "What's happening?" He stood and offered her a hand and they looked around. The trees were swaying to and from wildly by the wind while their robes were being blown. Sirius and Hallie pulled Lily and James over to one large oak to sit behind.
"Something's not right!" yelled Sirius over the noise of the howling wind. There was a loud whistle as a ferocious gust swept through forcing them away from the tree. He grabbed onto a root in the ground. Hallie sat as close to the tree as she could get and put her hands over her ears to save them from the horrible noise the winds made.
Another gust flew past forcing Lily blowing her from the group. James grabbed onto her hand and pulled her back. Her hair was flying freely behind her as she shut her eyes tightly. Finally, she was next to him once again.
Sirius lost his grip on the root and was compelled towards the Shrieking Shack, which he crashed against. The boy fell to the ground, limp and seemingly lifeless. "Sirius!" yelled James despairingly. He stood about to run to his best friend, but Lily pulled him back down.
"No, James!" she screeched. Hallie looked to the quarreling Lily and James to Sirius' inactive form. She brandished her wand into the air.
"Chantebra Lengorio!" she cried. A tingling feeling ran up her spine and all through her when she was suddenly chilled as if she had falling into an ice pond. Horror filled, she stood and held onto the tree. "It's enchanted!" she yelled to Lily and James. They didn't seem to hear her. The two were too caught up in arguing so she hit them both with her wand. As they looked up at her in shock she shouted, "The wind's enchanted! Someone else is here!" Lily had a look of pure terror upon her face while James looked around.
"Lift me up!" he demanded. Hallie looked at him with a look.
"No!"
"Do it, Hallie, now!" She shook her head stubbornly.
"It's too dangerous!" Now the wind was howling harder and faster. They could almost see the silver tinge of magic in the air. Lily struggled to stay seated on the ground near the tree by holding on to the trunk.
"Do it now, Hallie Amelia Forester, or I'll curse you with the worst spell I can think of!" She glared at him.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" She fought to hold him steady as he rose. He looked around and then there was an abnormal blast of wind forcing him above a grove of trees some several feet away. "No you don't!" Hallie yelled into the air. She forced James back to the ground and when he was safely holding on to the tree, she lapsed onto the ground, half-conscious. Lily grabbed her arm and made sure she didn't fly off.
"How do we make it stop?" shouted Lily to James. A thoughtful look was upon his face as he looked around.
Still holding onto the trunk of the tree he stood and pointed his wand into the air due northeast. "Cessation Altezreo!" he bellowed. The winds seemed to slow and then fought to erupt madness once again. "Cessation Altezreo!" James roared once more. He fought the spell of winds with all his strength, driving it back and was doing a grand job of it as well, but the maker of the winds wanted a last two. A blast of wind rushed by. Lily reached to keep a firm grip on Hallie's hand but the other girl slipped and was risen into the air. She dropped near the edge of the precipice. James was chanting with all his might ceased when Lily stood to run to Hallie. He jumped to hold her back and his loss of concentration was deathly.
Hallie rolled onto her back and looked up at the sky groggily. Then she felt as though a hand pushed her and she was rolling to the edge of the cliff.
Lily saw her fall and screamed while trying madly to reach her best friend but James held her down. "No, Lily! You can't!" She felt tears come to her eyes as she looked where Hallie had been. The winds were gone now, and all was calm and serene.
At the edge of Hogsmead, James, holding Lily who was crying into his shoulder, watched as the sun started to rise. Wonderful colors sprang to the sky as he felt tears sting his eyes. This was too much for one night.
He looked to where Sirius lay, still unmoving when he heard a voice yell, "Help!" James squinted to where Sirius was. "I'm at the cliff! Lily! James! Help! Sirius even! I don't care, just get off this thing!" James and Lily looked to each other in shock, then they ran to the cliff where Hallie was hanging.
"Hallie?" asked Lily in a disbelieving voice. The girl looked up with relief flooding through her face.
"Lily?" The other girl looked down at her with a beaming smile. "Stop smiling and help me up."
"Oh! Right, James, help me." Both James and Lily pulled Hallie up. They went to where Sirius lay next to the Shrieking Shack. Hallie poked him. He didn't move so she poked him again.
"Stop that, Hallie," said Lily with a shiver. The other girl looked at her.
"What's wrong with him?"
James said, "Enervate!" Then Sirius moaned and blinked. His body ached horribly as he tried to turn from his side to onto his back. James helped him. Hallie broke into sobs and punched Sirius' shoulder.
Lily enveloped her into a hug. "What's the matter, Hal?" When the girl's crying slowed, she looked at her best friend and sniffed.
"Everything – every damned thing. The stupid winds, the stupid magic making the winds, me falling over the stupid cliff, the stupid winds for making fall of the cliff, and stupid Sirius Black for not being dead!" And then she broke into sobs again. Sirius looked at her for a moment, and then he turned to James who was looking at him with a look Sirius misinterpreted as an accusing one.
"What, are you going to blame me for living now?"
"We should go back," Lily told her friends softly. Hallie rubbed her eyes tiredly and stood. "How are we going to go back?" Sirius grinned at her wickedly making her scoot away from him.
"Brooms of course." She glared at him.
"I'm not doubling with you."
"Good 'cause I don't want to double with you either." James rolled his eyes at them both.
"We can't go that way, the brooms are gone." Sirius' eyes bulged in their sockets.
"What?" he exclaimed. "My – my broom? No – oh no…" He jumped up and started to bustle around the clearing, looking for his broom. "My broom, it was new – and – oh, no – no, no, no!"
"Er – Sirius," said Lily hesitantly. He looked at her with solemn eyes. "I – I saw them go over them cliff…" Defeated, he fell onto the ground and landed on his rump with a soft 'thump'.
"My broom…" he moaned pathetically. Hallie looked at him, and then to James and Lily.
"Can we leave? I don't like it up here." She looked at the cliff, then back to them with a shiver. "Ugh." James walked over to the edge and peered down.
Then he looked at them all and with an apologetic look at Hallie, he said, "We'll have to climb down." She looked at him and folded her arms across her chest resignedly.
"No."
He gave her a look. "Hallie…"
"No!"
"But you have to! It's the only way down!" She just shook her head and pointed to Sirius who was still on the ground.
"You're forgetting the nitwit who runs into walls, he can't climb down, just look at him!" Sirius looked at her indignantly.
"I'm not a nitwit! And besides, I was blown into the stupid thing!" He sat up painfully. "And I can climb down, I'm not afraid of heights." Sirius tried to get up and James helped him stand. "See? Ha." He tried to walk around but grabbed a stitch on his side. When he took his hand away, there was liquid crimson upon it. Lily gasped.
"You're hurt!" He looked at her and shook his head.
"It isn't bad."
James slapped a hand to his head. "I know! We can levitate each other down!" Lily jumped up and hugged him.
"Brilliant! It's perfect! Bring me down first." He chanted the spell and lowered her down. James turned to Sirius and Hallie.
The girl turned to the black-headed boy. "You go next." He shrugged and was levitated down. James then turned to her. "You go next." He grinned and shook his head.
"Nope," he said, "you go next." He chanted and she was lifted into the air.
"James! I hate you for this!" she screamed down at him. He just smirked and lowered her down. She put her hands over her eyes. When she was on the ground he heard Lily chant and he was raised into the air. Then they were all grounded they looked around. The village of Hogsmead was still asleep but would soon wake.
All four were groggy with sleep and somehow, they finally arrived at the great doors of Hogwarts. As they stood before it, the doors opened, and standing there was Professor Dumbledore with Professor Jenkins at his side.
(Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing!
Lei Fang Fan ~ thanks! I'm glad u like it so far!
Foxy77 ~ Thanks for the review! I'm going to go fix that soon. Thanks again!
Thanks a bunch guys!!!!!!!)
