Lily stayed with
Jackie and Arabella the entire day. Time to time she would take pictures with
Sirius and Remus, or anyone else who asked, or she would take her own pictures,
but otherwise, she was with Jackie and Arabella. They stopped off at the Golden
Snitch Museum, at The Four Founders Museums: Godric, and some other places that
James couldn't remember because he was staring at the back of Lily's head,
thinking.
Okay, Potter.
Now that you have regained your senses, you can go back to the plan. It's kind
of her who wanted it, I mean, she threw the first stone, right? Right?
He approached her at
their café, just to tease her. Obviously she had other things on her mind. She
knew he was behind her, but she didn't turn to face him.
"Five feet,
Jimmy-boy, if you don't want the crap beaten out of you." She growled as she
took a bite into some sandwich.
"Five feet three,
five feet two, five feet one.. Five feet! Four foot nine and a half.." He said,
thinking 'Hey, what can she do?'
Slam! Wrong
answer.
"Tell me how the
concrete feels any second now, Jimmy-boy." She said merrily with a cold laugh,
looking down at him innocently as if he was a piece of gum. "I do believe we
are to see your beloved mother and your cousin Tara this evening."
She put a piece of
gum and her mouth and started chewing, well, she was chewing in an odd way, but
it was, well, slightly, uh, attractive. Yeah, that's it! She grabbed hold of
one of her curls with her right index finger and started twirling it around her
finger, causing James's mouth to water.
James had a thing
about hair. Thick, fine, curly, wavy.. Never straight or in-between, unless
someone could handle that. Someone like Lily. He could just kiss a girl if she
played with her hair (and very few girls, unfortunately for them, didn't
realize this. The Quidditch team, however, noticed. Lily had asked innocently
about it before James was flat on his back).
He may have been
lying on a piece of gum and a straw wrapper, but he was drooling. He had a very
good view of her- DAMN!
Lily suddenly
realized that the back of her chair (and her curls) were perfectly in James's
view. She got up, bent over him, and she waggled her other index finger at him.
No, no,
Jimmy-boy.. That's a time-out. You've been bad... Not that I mind in the
least.
She smiled coyly
and hopped up to entertain Sirius.
James groaned. What
have I gotten myself into?
As for Lily, she
was enjoying a very nice lap- And Missy's unnecessary jealousy. All was
explained that Sirius and Lily had sworn on the Marauder's Bible (a book of
pranks and rules of the Marauders, for future reference) never to be truly
attracted to each other, ever.. They both just overly enjoyed flirting.
"Yes, Lily,
dahling- You look ravishing in that new shade... What was it called??" Sirius
asked playfully. She shrugged.
"Cornflake."
Remus said dryly, making Lily blush. She had never lost her temper that
badly before.
James was lying
helplessly not twenty feet away, listening to them tease her. If I teased
her like that, I could find myself wrapped up like those pictures in Most
Potent Potions.
Tara sensed
something wrong from the start. First of all, James was in the back, thinking
(which was dangerous, in Tara's mind, I mean, James thinking and all..) and
Lily was in the front, appearing like she was having a great time- Without
James. However, she gave a great, detailed tour of the house, explaining it's
finest artifacts and it's long history. Lily penned her notes, while James
still stood in the back, thinking.
Plotting is more
like it. Tara thought, but she could speak to Lily or her cousin later.
Meanwhile, Sirius,
Remus, Rafe, Munguldus and Ronan were doing plotting of their own. Well, Remus,
Rafe, Ronan and Munguldus were plotting. Sirius was doing a play-by-play on how
Lily lost her temper at the breakfast table and punched James out..
"I am completely
riding on the fact that it's just PMS." Sirius said. Remus hushed him.
"What? You guys
don't understand that I have seven sisters. SEVEN. And I'm the youngest of the
family. And unlike most females living together, my sisters aren't all, you
know, in sync." Sirius said, shuddering.
"We'll talk about
the feminine problems of your family later. We have to change the itinerary for
tonight. It has to be romantic, or they'll end up killing each other."
Rafe said. Everyone but Sirius (the femininity expert) agreed.
"No, it has to be
like the night they spent. Making it seem like they're sneaking away from
society, doing everything they did, that'll be romantic reminiscent enough,
trust me." Sirius said, emphasizing the word trust.
Rafe gave Remus a
questioning look.
"Oddly enough,
Sirius is right about these things." Remus said, shaking his head sadly. "Why
couldn't that gift be blessed to someone useful?"
Sirius didn't catch
the joke until later, when he was trotting behind Remus, demanding "How am I
not useful? I'm useful! How am I NOT useful? Huh?!"
Tara shook her
head. Something at that ball had to be poisoned, because everybody was acting
odd.
"Let me tell you,
Mister Sirius-Is-Not-Useful! EIGHT FEMALES. ALL OUT OF SYNC. THERE IS NOT A DAY
THAT GOES BY AT MY HOUSE THAT THERE IS NOT SOMEBODY ASKING SIRIUS 'Can
you get me a pack of Midol- PLEASE?' HOW DO YOU THINK THAT MAKES ME FEEL.."
Sirius was cut off
by an amazing sight at the top of the stairs. It was a portrait of Godric
Gryffindor and his family.
Lily looked up from
her notebook when she heard gasps. They were right to gasp.
In a rather wide
golden chair, there sat a man with messy black hair (A/N: hmm..) and playful
eyes, a sort of gray-blue. On his lap sat two little girls, about age two. One
little girl, age four, and a little boy, about six, stood leaning on the
armrest. The girls had glittering blue eyes and silky, thin dark hair. The boy,
standing regal and proud, had dark blue eyes and hair that was a rich, reddish
black. What was behind the chair was magnificent. In a flowing white gown that
looked like the things clouds are made of if you flattened them, was a pretty
woman, her hair a sort of very, very dark auburn. Her eyes were twinkling blue,
and she held a newborn child in her hands, a little girl, with her elder
brother's dark blue eyes and her sisters' dark silky hair. The figures were
like the Fat Lady, having personalities and voices (or in the baby's case, a
scream). The boy waved merrily, his eyes twinkling.
"The picture
captures Godric and his wife, and their six children. The eldest- eventually
changing his name to Potter, a common name, when the witch-burnings set forth,
for he wanted to protect his family- Was Orion. Orion was a strong and playful
boy, but he had his responsibilities as the eldest. His youngest sister, the
one Lady Gryffindor is holding, Gemini, was the one who discovered how to
freeze a flame to protect witches from being burned. The little girl at Sir
Gryffindor's feet is named Siria, the female version of the dog that followed
Orion around. And did she ever. The Gryffindors were extremely interested in
Astronomy, and there are even spots on the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts where
you can find the Gryffindor children's names inscribed in the stones." Tara
began, watching everyone look into the eyes of the Gryffindors.
"Their eyes are
some that you can stare into for hours. They're famous. James has Orion's eyes,
and I have those of the girls. The twins, Helena and Olympia, grew up to build
Diagon Alley, but died shortly after completing the fascinating street- It was
said that they had wandered into the new Knockturn Alley, and that's where they
met their death. Siria took over and Gemini, known as Gem founded the
Muggle-protection sections of the Ministry of Magic. Siria died of old age, and
Gem was killed in a crusade for justice. Orion was the only one left after a while,
hiding his mother in this very mansion, so that no one could take her away from
him." Tara said in a dramatic voice. "Orion was legally under the name Potter,
and he married a girl that was one of the first going to Hogwarts- The daughter
of another founder, Regina Ravenclaw, who was one of the few who knew he was a
Gryffindor, as he left Hogwarts in his fifth year and returned in his seventh,
after taking care of his dieing family."
"Professor, I have
a stomachache.. I'm sorry, the sandwiches were too rich for me.. Gross, pâté."
Lily said as she clutched her notes tighter.
"Go ahead, Lily.
Rest up, we have a spectacular itinerary for the night." Dumbledore said, and
Lily went up to her room.
"Remus- what sick
excuse did you write for Dumbledore to get?" Sirius muttered as he watched the
scene progress.
"Stomachache."
Remus said, an evil grin forming on his face.
"Perfect." Sirius
mused. "Tonight will be fun."
"Dumbledore- I
think I've been plotting too hard- My head hurts.. I'm going up to rest, okay?"
James asked, rubbing his temples.
"What excuse did
you write for him?" Sirius asked in a low whisper, panicking.
"Migraine." Remus
said, holding back a chuckle.
"EVEN MORE
BRILLIANT!" Sirius cried, getting very odd looks from some of the people in the
lobby. "Hey, what 'cho lookin' at? I ain't got nothin', nothin', I tell ya!"
"He is the youngest
of eight, with seven sisters." Remus explained.
"Ohhhhhh." The
people said.
"I am getting sooo
sick of social calls. I can't even last two days.." Lily muttered. "Well, I am
not going to pay social calls-"
There came a knock
at her door. Sirius was standing in her doorway.
"This is the
itinerary for tonight. First stop- Chinese greasy food..."
"Then
roller-disco, then ice cream cones.." Remus said, watching the odd expressions
forming on James's face. "After that there is a little dance studio that has
been willing to play some Tango songs.. To teach people.."
"And then we have
walking in the park, out in the moonlight, getting some moving caricatures,
then we go back and enjoy making fun of people having a formal dinner in the
next room. Here's the schedule- Nothing's formal." Sirius finished, handing her
a large, white square card.
"Thanks.. I
guess.." She said, looking at Sirius's face, knowing he was trying not to
laugh, and shutting the door slowly. She heard cackles of glee eventually fade,
and she picked out a very nice outfit for them all.
It was a pair of
emerald green cotton shorts that hugged her curves and showed off most of her
thighs and all of her calves, with white socks with emerald green trim, her own
pair of roller-boots, white with green wheels and green laces, and a white
muscle t-shirt with green piping on the collar and the sleeves, and the green,
loopy cursive on the upper part reading Lily. She had other shoes, white
lace-up boots with silver laces, and she polished them to a very nice sheen.
While she added the
finishing touches to her curling pigtails (fluffy green scrunchies) she wasn't
aware that tonight she would be alone with James Potter.
James wasn't
normally in informal clothes. He had very few things for a casual night out,
but he dug something up. A new pair of dark-wash jeans and a black t-shirt,
tucked in not so it looked geeky, but so it wouldn't look sloppy. He put his
varsity jacket on, and tied the laces of his rollerblades together and flung
them over his shoulder.
"WAIT! LILY!!"
Sirius said, suddenly remembering a vital piece of information. "Did you pack
your swimsuit?"
"Always do. Why?"
She asked, slipping on a very large denim jacket and flinging her roller-boots
of her shoulder (A/N: How alike two people can be).
"They forgot to put
this swimming place down, after ice cream cones, before the.."
"Dance studio. So
pack your trunks in a pocket or something. They'll have towels there. There's
like this magically heated pool.." Remus began, but James stopped him.
"I know this town
like the back of my hand. I'll go get them, alright? Who am I buddied with?" He
asked, as they walked up the stairs to James's room.
"You're supposed to
meet Lily in the lobby in half-an-hour." Remus said.
"Ah, lovely time to
mess with Princess's head." He muttered, smiling. Remus shrugged and went to
meet the group that was going to the real places tonight.
Do you remember
The 21st night
of September?
Love was changing the minds of pretenders
While chasing the clouds away
The music made Lily
look up. The words ridiculed her, but reminded her that she had a purpose- He
hadn't even apologize- Wait, he did.. Or tried. She just avoided the subject.
So is it her fault or his?
He's the one
that said those horribly mean things to you, Lily.
Yeah! His fault for
starting it in the first place!
Buuut..
Wait! There is not a but! There cannot be a
but!
He did try to
apologize to you..
Shut up.
Our hearts were ringing
In the key that our souls
were singing
As we danced in the night
remember
How the stars stole the night away
What was that?
James looked up. The stars stole the night away. Yeah, they did.
"Oh, it's you."
Lily growled, after perkily jumping down the stairs. "You'd think Dumbledore
would notice we hated one another."
"Right. Can we just
get this over with?" James asked in a sort of low whisper. "I've got a headache
and I'd appreciate if you didn't yell tonight."
"Fine. Can we skip
the Chinese food? My stomach already hurts enough." Lily muttered without
blinking.
"Sure.
Roller-disco, Prin- Lily?" James said, correcting himself.
Hey, hey, hey
Ba-di-ya -- say, do you
remember
Ba-di-ya -- dancing in
September
Ba-di-ya -- never was a cloudy day
"Stop it! That
tickles!" Lily shrieked as James lapped her again, intentionally brushing as
close as he could to Lily.
"Race you!" He
yelled.
"Well, then, if you
put it like that, of course!" She shouted. There was definitely no crowd to
yell over, just the music.
James tried to lap
her again, but the song played again in his head.
My thoughts are with you
Holding hands with your
heart
To see you, only blue talk
and love
Remember how we knew love was here to stay?
Unlike James, Lily
had become immune to the music, words- Anything that reminded her she was not
as confident as she would like.
The art of
seduction was one that she learned from Claire- She was going to win this war.
She was going to bring him into her..
The song hadn't
frozen him long enough. He went headlong into her, almost falling over. He
straightened up, but she fell backwards, into his arms. She giggled insanely as
he held her up by her waist. They fell over laughing.
He remembered
thinking he loved her laugh. He did.
Now December
Found the love we shared in
September
Only blue talk and love
Remember the true love we
shared today.
She watched him eat
(or try to eat) his chocolate ice cream cone. He got this smidgen of chocolate
chip stuck on his nose. She removed it with her thumb, and he leaned in.
She pulled away,
smiling.
Hey, hey, hey
Ba-di-ya -- say, do you
remember
Ba-di-ya -- dancing in
September
Ba-di-ya -- never was a cloudy day
"Belly flop!!!!"
James yelled as he dived in. Lily shrieked as the water splashed everywhere. He
emerged looking as good as ever. No chocolate on his nose. Not even that stupid
smirk that annoyed her so much.
"CHERRY BOMB!!!"
She shrieked as she ran to the diving board. He swam over to where he had
emerged and he came closer. And closer. And she swam away playfully.
"Tango is very
sensual. You need to listen to your feet, watch your partner, touch in the
right spots to send signals, smell warning signals, taste the passion. Anger
and passion invented this dance." The instructor said. Lily and James must have
been the only young people in there. They were so close she could feel his
sweat on her arms. He had taken off his jacket, for fear of missing the feel.
The burning rhythm soared through their bodies.
And we'll sing
Ba-di-ya -- say, do you
remember
Ba-di-ya -- dancing in
September
Ba-di-ya -- golden dreams were shiny days
"Have you noticed
there's no one else here but us?" Lily said, arriving back at her senses when
they walked through the park. The night air chilled her and there was this
creepy, creepy feeling around here somewhere. He gave her his jacket.
"Just like the
twenty-first of September." He murmured, looking around. "There's no
caricaturist around here, just a gazebo."
"Smart, observant-
Not the words the girls at Hogwarts think of when they think of you, I
suppose." She muttered dryly. They sat down in the gazebo.
"Well," He said
with fake pride, rubbing his fist on
his shirt, "We can't all be pretty boys, can we?"
Lily laughed.
"Pretty boys?"
"What, did you
expect me to say studs?"
"WHERE?!" Lily
asked, looking around enthusiastically.
"Not funny." He
said, pouting with his 'puppy' lip.
"You realize that
we're acting like a couple, right?" She asked, leaning in a bit. This is the
best part of the whole charade.
He leaned closer,
hoping to get his famous signature move in. She pulled back suddenly.
"Let's get back,
we're out a bit late." She said, perkily.
The bells were ringing
He walked her up to
her room and she leaned against the door, knowing what he was trying to do.
Our love was singing.
Just as he was
supporting himself to lean in, she grasped the doorknob. But he was quicker. As
she slowly opened the door, he kissed her. Square on the lips.
Do you remember every cloudy day?
"Good night, Mister
Potter." She said coyly, closing her door after her. Like the night of the
opera, her friends were positioned in her room, with the lamplight flooding in
softly, and Jackie giggling.
"Good night,
Mister Potter.." They teased, imitating Lily's dreamy voice and it's coy
tone.
"Good night,
Mister Potter.." Helen said again, but Lily threw her pillow at Helen's
stomach. This started an all out war. In the middle of flying feathers and the
giggles her friends were making, Lily stopped. She was still wearing his
jacket.
"Good night, Mister
Potter." James murmured dreamily. He was sitting in the big lobby downstairs
with the rest of the boys, and they chuckled and snorted.
"Good night,
Mister Potter." They teased, unaware that they were very unoriginal.
A/N: The song is September by Earth, Wind and Fire,
later reused for the movie Get Over It, now sung by Sisqo and Vitamin C.
The song belongs to them and their rightful record companies and I hope you
enjoyed the fic. Oh, yeah.. Um... I'm explaining the whole thing with Regina
Ravenclaw later, in another fic set in the days of our terrific three.
