A/N: otayz...I happen to HATE this chapter, so, sorry that it stinks so much, people! *wacks self on head* why do I have to be such a stinky writer, gosh darnit? lolz...well, this chapter REALLY sux, so I'll just let you ppl get on with it...
Disclaimer: I still own the things I owned last chapter...nothing's chanced concerning that...
Chapter Thirteen:
Revealed Truth
Lily squealed. It was the day of the ball, and she could hardly concentrate, because of her excitement. The ball was going to be perfect in every possible way. Lily couldn't help a little outburst during Transfiguration, when Professor McGonagall said "As you all know, tonight is the Anniversary Ball. I expect you all to-" Professor McGonagall had reprimanded Lily by saying, "Miss Evans, control yourself.", but by then no one was paying attention, because they were bouncing off the ceiling as well. Lily, Tawny, and Grace decided to get the Marauders, and Natty to skip History of Magic, seeing as they were so excited, and come with them to do something more "productive", namely, hanging out outside by the lake. Natty asked if she could bring her friend, Estelle (Stella), who was a French transfer, and whom Natty knew from Beuxbatons.
"I am so excited for zee ball!" Estelle said, with an air of complete excitement in her voice, "Zis is so different from what we do at Beuxbatons! At Beauxbatons, we do not have very many of zese balls. Hogwarts iz so wonderful! It iz so big, and splendid!"
Lily grinned. "I'm glad you like it here! Are you going with anyone to the ball?"
"Oh, yes! Zee boys here are so different from the ones in France! Zee French boys can be so boring, and, 'ow-you-say, not fun. But, zee boys here! Zey are so nice, and funny! I am going with one named Freddie Martins. He iz very nice, and we 'ave become very good friends. Who are all of you going with?"
Lily laughed, "Oh, I'd kill for your accent, Estelle! I'm going with James, Tawny's going with Sirius, and Grace's going with Remus. They say they're just good friends, but I think-"
Lily was cut off by Grace, "What you think is absolutely wrong, Lily Evans, so don't even start." Grace grinned.
"Zat sounds nice! And, Lily, I'd trade you for you're British accent anyday. I always feel zat everyone looks at me as an exotique French girl, when I am really like zee rest of you. Anyways, I think zat zee ball will be brilliant fun. Oui, zat iz for sure."
Lily was twirling her hair, thinking of something to say. "I could easily push you into the lake, you know." James teased her.
"You wouldn't dare, Potter!" James tickled her, and she squealed with laughter. Grace then clutched her forehead, and bit her lip. "What's wrong, Grace?" Lily asked, curiously.
Grace shuddered, "It's nothing," Grace said, casually, then muttered under her breath, "I hope."
"Shouldn't we be getting inside?" Tawny asked, "We only have three hours till the ball!"
"Only three hours? Oh, however shall we have time to get ready?" Sirius said in mock horror, laughing.
"Oh, shut up," Tawny giggled, "Let's just get inside." They all walked inside.
By 6 o'clock, everyone was ready for the ball. Tawny was obsessing over looking perfect, Lily was just plain obsessing and Grace was laughing at both of them. "You two act as if the rest of your lives depend on this ball..."
"It's important! It's the biggest ball ever! We deserve to have some fun!" Tawny stated.
Lily hopped onto the bed, "Yeah! Exactly!" She said, as she jumped up and down.
"Lily Evans! Don't be juvenile! You're not five, you know! You'll break the-" Grace's scolding was cut off by a pillow that Lily threw at her, and she shrieked, "Ok, fine! Two can play at that game!" And Grace jumped onto her bed and began to hop up and down, throwing pillows at Lily and Tawny, who was putting on blue eye shadow.
Tawny squealed and joined into the game, in a few seconds she jumped off of her bed, and took out her wand, "On guard!" She said, pointing her wand towards Lily.
"Touche!" Lily cried, pulling out her wand, Grace then joined in, and they had gotten into a spirited sword fight. A few seconds later, Valery walked in with her best friend, Michelle.
Valery stared at them blankly, "How childish," she reprimanded. The girls promptly ignored Valery, and continued to try and chop each other's heads off.
After about about an hour of sword fights, James poked his head into the door of the dorm, Sirius and Remus behind him. He laughed at the three girls, and said, "If The Three Musketeers are finished, it's time for the ball."
"Oh, can't we play?" Sirius whined from behind James,
"You certainly can NOT!" Came Valery's voice, "This is a girl's dormitory, and you shouldn't even be in here!" Valery then walked out, her nose in the air, followed by Michelle.
"Oh, how nice, we love you too," Said Sirius sarcastically.
Tawny giggled, and the girls jumped off the bed. "Ok, let's go!" Squealed Tawny, excitedly
Lily took James' arm, and walked out the dormitory. James was having fun playing the role of a butler. "May I take you coat, Miss Lily?"
Lily laughed and played along, "Oh, do please, thank you, oh, and Jamesie, be a dear and get me some punch, will you?" Lily giggled.
"Of course, Miss Lily, but, if Miss Lily calls me Jamesie again, I will be forced to quit, and live on the streets of Manhattan..." (A/N: don't ask, cuz I don't know where the heck I got that from...lol...)
Lily smiled, and kissed him. "Manhattan? Oh, that will never do," Lily giggled.
"You two are sickening," Sirius said, and Tawny nodded in agreement. "The streets of Manhattan?"
"Oh that will never do?" Tawny and Sirius gagged. "You sound like soap opera people...or something!"
James and Lily ignored their friends, "Care to dance?" James asked
Lily and James danced two dances before Dumbledore came up onto the stage. "Hello, students!" Dumbledore began, "I'm glad you could all make it here. As you all know, it was 1000 years ago today that Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, and Helga Hufflepuff founded Hogwarts. 1000 years ago that young witches and wizards, just like youselves-" Dumbledore was cut off by a shriek and a loud bang. Everyone was shocked, and whispers filled the hall. "Students! Please go directly to your common rooms!"
Lily shudders, and clutched James' arm. "What is it?"
"I dunno." James muttered vaguely.
Just then Grace ran up to them, near tears, "Something's wrong," She whispered, "Something's very wrong."
James looked at Grace, and made up his mind, "Lil, go back to the Gryffindor common room and cover for me. I'm going to find out what happened."
"No!" Lily clutched James' hand tightly, "I'm coming."
James didn't protest, and they both ran out of the Great Hall. Luckily, no one noticed them running down toward the dungeons though all the chaos. James then heard whispers coming from one of the dungeons. It sounded like it was coming from the Potions room.
"We've waited long enough," Came a man's voice, "It is time. Get the boy. Get the boy and bring him back. I want him back alive. Bring the girl alive, as well. Kill the rest freely, but, be sure of this, Chestire, get caught and you will be killed at their own choice. I will not save you. I will be in the forest. Bring me them by May 29th, midnight. If you don't have them, rest assured that I'll take your life instead."
James shuddered. The man talking had a sound of pure evil in his voice. And Chestire? That was the surname of Braedon Chestire, a Gryffindor who'd graduated only last year. He was working for this evil man? James would have never guessed. And who were they going to kidnap? One thing was for sure, these men were trouble.
"Yes, my lord. I will bring you the boy. But-"
"Why do I want the boy? He is my son. He has my blood flowing through his veins. This boy will be great, if he joins our side."
"But-"
"If he doesn't? I'll kill him."
James shuddered. This man was truly evil. Kill his own son? He couldn't imagine how a father could do that. He thought of his father. He was never at home very often, but when he was, they'd play quiddich and have the time of their lives. James knew his father would never do anything like that.
"Does the boy know, my lord?"
"You are becoming too nosy, Chestire. My business has nothing to do with you. You are only to obey. And, no, the boy does not know. He believes that he is the son of the Potters." The man laughed a cold, cruel laugh.
James' world froze. His mind swirled. No! That couldn't be true! It was impossible! His parents were his parents. He was not the son of this man. This man was mad!
Lily covered her mouth. She looked at James, scared at his expression of complete shock. He looked pale, and sick, as if he were about to throw up. He slid to the floor and lost his consciousness. "Damn!" Lily said under her breath. The man was coming out, and she couldn't carry James. She pulled out her wand, and pointed it to James. "Invisilo." She whispered, then repeated the spell for herself. Lily crossed her fingers. The men passed her, without touching James. Lily let out a sigh when they were far down the corridor. She looked over to James. He had an expression that made Lily want to cry. She knelt down beside him. This was the same boy who was always joking and laughing. Now he wasn't laughing. He wasn't happy. He looked like a little boy. Who had no idea what to do. And it scared Lily out of her wits. "James?" She whispered.
James moved slightly, and opened his eyes. "Oh, no...It wasn't all a dream?"
The look on James' face made Lily want to cry. She shook her head.
"This is all wrong!" James got up. "He can't be my father!"
"Who was he?" Lily asked softly.
"I'm not sure. But, I think-" James paused, "I think he was Voldemort."
Lily stared in shock. That couldn't be possible! The boy she loved had the same blood in his veins as the man who had taken part in ruining her life? Lily looked at James. "You aren't him. You don't have to be him."
James just stared blankly up into space.
"Let's go back to the common room."
James stood up, and walked toward Gryffindor Tower. Lily looked at him. She wanted to tell him everything was going to be ok. She desperately wanted to be able to turn back time and not have come here. But, she knew that'd only make things worse. Lily was scared. Was Voldemort going to take James? She couldn't let him. She wouldn't. She hated Voldemort for doing this to James. More than she hated anyone for doing anything.
When they got into the common room, James went up to the boys' dorm, without a word to Sirius, Remus, or Peter. Sirius followed him, but the rest, knowing that Sirius was the one who had to talk to James, stayed behind. "Lil, what's wrong?" Tawny finally asked after 5 minutes of silence.
"Voldemort," Lily muttered, "Voldemort is wrong."
Up in his bedroom, James told Sirius everything. Every single detail of what had happened. "I always wondered why my family looked nothing like me. It all makes sense now." James said sadly. "I'm going to write them a letter. I'll tell them that I know. They kept it from me all these years."
Sirius looked blank, "Well, what were they supposed to do? Tell you one day, 'oh, by the way, son, you're really the son of a psychopathic evil murderer.'"
"They could've at least told me I was adopted," James muttered angrily. He took out a piece of parchment:
Dear Mum and Dad,
He then crossed that out. They weren't his parents.
Dear Annabelle and Sam,
No, the dear sounded too friendly.
Annabelle and Sam Potter (if those are your real names),
I know the truth. All of it. Why'd you keep it a secret all these years? What were you planning to do? Tell me on my graduation day, "Oh, yeah, son, actually, you aren't a Potter, and we're not your real parents, " Or are you my real mother, mum? Have you cheated on dad and kept it from him?
James shuddered. He felt horrible saying all this, but he didn't care. They deserved whatever happened.
All these years you've told me, "You'll be Head Boy one day, it's in your blood." And "You were destined to be a Gryffindor, every Potter has been". Well, guess what, I'm not a Potter. I don't have your blood. And you never got around to telling me it in SIXTEEN years. I want to know the whole truth now.
~James
The blood boiled in James' head. He was furious with his false parents. How could they do this to him? How? Did Grace know? Did Amanda know? Did everyone know but him? Sirius was still sitting next to him in complete silence.
"You know, James, they still are your parents." Sirius said
"No, they aren't! Not my real parents!"
"Parents are the people who raise you, and take care of you, and love you. They are your parents. Your real parents."
James just scowled at the floor, "If they were my real parents, they wouldn't let me find out like this. They'd tell me." Sirius didn't argue. He just stared at James in silence. He knew that if he argued, James wouldn't listen.
"James, I've known you and your parents since forever. Your parents wouldn't do anything unless they wanted to keep you safe. This Voldemort is evil. He is. If they told you, you would've wanted to know who your parents were. If you found out...who knows what you'd do."
"Well, I know now." James said furiously.
A/N: James was pretty mean to his parents, wasn't he? Tehehe...well, he was pretty mad...he'll regret being so mean in later chapters...anywayz...sorry again for the horrible chapter!
Thank-Yous:
~Martini Addict: thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it!
~Satans Little Princess: ooo...u were away? Hope u had fun on ur away-ness! Tehehe...glad you liked da new chps! Oh, and, thanks a ton for reviewing 'In The News...', you're my only 'The Phoenix Ring' reviewer who did, and it was nice seeing a signed review...i only got one other signed review besides yours, and, all reviews are good, but signed ones r da best....*nodz* well, thanks!
~~Kat Evans~: YAY! I'm glad you think it's great, personally, I think it sux...lol...but, I have very low self-esteem, so say most of my friends...lol...
~Crytal Lily: ooo...Lily called Tawny Tanya, cuz dat's her full middle name, and calling her Arabella is even more of an insult, and, no one calls her dat anywayz...i fink most people have forgotten she has a first name...lol...it's like dat with my little sister, Emi, her middle name is Emi, and everyone calls her Emi, but her first name is Arielle, and it was hilarious, cuz the other day someone asked me what Emi's middle name was, and I was like "umm...i don't think Emu has a middle name...", and then I realized her middle name was Emi....tehehe...oh, geez...i'm blabbing, aren't i? hehe...otayz...moving on...the birthday present! LOL! It's funny you shuld mention it...'bout a week ago I was in bed, and I was like, "Oh my god! The birthday present! I forgot about it!", and I freaked, but I have a backup plan, and Operation Reveal Birthday Present is coming into action...lol...well, thanks for the review!
~Nicola Padfoot: tehehe...too lazy to sign in? I member I used to be too lazy to sign in all da time...dat's why I got sooo excited when I saw dat ff.n had added a handy wittle 'remember me' feature! lolz...tehehe...i wuv Lily in my fic too...'cept I wuv James and Tawny and Sirius more...lolz...and I wuv Violet, but what am I telling you dat for? you don't even know Violet yet...*nodz* yesh, I said yet, cuz after I finish this fic (that'll be in less than a month, prolly) I'm writing a year one fic, from Violet's POV...*nodz* I've been planning already, and I'm excited now...hehe...anywayz...there I go blabbing again...yup, snapdragon and prongs rocks! I wish she'd post chapters more often, though...i'm dying waiting for the next one....lol...tehehe...uck...homework can *never* wait...it is the root of evil...*nodz* the world would be a more perfect place without homework...well, if I don't stop blabbing I'm gonna take up as much space as da fanfic takes up with just thank-yous...lol...thanx 4 da review!
~MaNiC PaNiC: Daynae! I wuv ur username! It's brilliful! lolz...i cracked up when I read your review? Famous? Moi? My fics suck horribly...lolz...da only reason ppl review is cuz they feel reallyyyyyyyy bad for me...*nodz* dat's my theory...see, your fic rocks, so ppl r so shocked after reading them, that they are speechless, and can't think of anything to say in a review...*nodz* and, plus, my fic is in one of the most popular catagories for HP fanfics (that being L/J and MWPP)...it's not original or anything, like yours, so people read it, cuz it's familiar...*nodz* anywayz, I'd wuv to beta for you when you finish!!! Even though my grammar is *not* down...LOL...I spelled Slytherin wrong, which a reviewer was kind enough to point out...*nodz* my grammer is perfectly horrible, thank you very much...tehehe...Go H/G! I used 2 b a MAJOR H/G shipper, though....*nodz* I couldn't go about a conversation without starting a debate on why H/G is da best shipperism...now im not as bit on it, but still...i wuv H/G...*nodz* Daynae! Your 3 years older than me, and you DO write better than me! lolz...you thought your review was long? Tehehe...take a look @ my thank-yous...tehehe...im such a blabber-mouth...i could've just simply said thank-you to each person, but nooo...that was just too simple...lolz...well, thanks for da review!
~coolgirl947: ooo...i spelled Slytherin wrong? Eek! Im such a moron! Sorry 'bout that! I'll fix it! I'm glad you liked the fic!
~Kali: ya...your right...i never thought about that....i guess the owls would probably take longer than I said they would...well, I'll fix that! Thanks for telling me!
A/N: wow...that is a longggg thank-you thingymabobber...lol...oh, also, could you guyz do me a HUGE favor and read (and review) my new fanfic, In The News? You'll prolly like it, since it's another L/J...