A/N: Okay, it's Spring Break, so I actually have time to write this! Yay! I have a very interesting plot for the next chapter, or maybe two. I hope you people like this, because I am really enjoying doing this. It's dark and gloomy here in Wisconsin right now, all cloudy and rainy, so I'm having fun imagining it's summer and bright and sunny. *Sigh* I miss summer…
Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters, though I wish I did. They all belong to the talented Joanne Katherine Rowling, who is the greatest writer, and would win any fan fiction contest any day.
Dedication: Okay, this chapter is dedicated to the real Danny, with blue-green eyes, who I will never forget, no matter how far apart we are.
Girls
By Wolf Speaker
Chapter 8:
Summer Holidays Part 2
Lily and Charlotte were in Charlotte's room in Milwaukee, Wisconsin planning on what to do.
"Well, Sirius isn't coming for 3 days, so we're free until then," said Charlotte.
They had been in Wisconsin for a month now, and had worn out almost every opportunity of fun. The mall was getting boring, there was nobody to call without paying more than was wise, and a walk had been overdone, since they took about three the day before. Lily had been spending a lot of time with Danny (and Charlotte, of course), and was really close with him. It almost scared her when she realized how much like James he was.
The computer on Charlotte's desk called "I have an idea."
Charlotte and Lily sat down in front of the charmed computer to see what was blinking on the screen.
"Why not see a movie?" said the computer, showing them a picture of a scene from a new movie, ET the Extra Terrestrial (A/N: remember, this is 20 years ago…)
"I've never seen that flick," said Lily. "It's American, right?"
"Yeah," said Charlotte. "It just came out a little while ago."
"I wouldn't mind seeing that. Who charmed your computer?" asked Lily, realizing the computer was now humming placidly to itself.
"Oh, my mom is Muggle born, but got asked to go to a school of magic, just like you," answered Charlotte. "She can't live without computers, so she got one for each of us, and charmed them to keep an eye on us."
"Oh. Do you think Danny will want to come with us?" asked Lily, in what she hoped was an offhand voice.
"Well, the movie isn't exactly his favorite kind, but he might," said Charlotte, grinning. "You know, if you want, it can be just you and Danny…"
"No," said Lily. "I'd die of embarrassment! You are never going to leave me alone with him."
"Whatever you say," said Charlotte, grinning even more devilishly. She loved the thought of Danny and Lily dating, but she still felt there was some hope for Lily and James. It just seemed certain to her, but she couldn't explain why.
"Well, if we're going, we'll have to leave now," said Charlotte, checking her watch.
"Yeah, let's go. Did you get your driver's license yet?" asked Lily.
"Yup! I got it right before school started! Let's go ask my mom," said Charlotte, grinning.
"CHARLOTTE! Can you come downstairs, dear?" called Linda suddenly.
"What?" asked Charlotte after thundering down the stairs.
"Your father sent you a birthday present," said Linda, grinning.
"Just like dad," muttered Charlotte. "My birthday isn't for another 2 months."
"It's right outside, in the driveway. Why don't you go see what it is before judging him," said Linda, her eyes twinkling much like they did before when she picked up the girls at Kings Cross.
Charlotte's eyes widened, and she ran to the window looking out to the street. She screamed and ran out the door before Lily could even get to the window. When she looked outside, she saw a red car with a giant bow on top, and Charlotte crying next to it, about to go inside. It was a 1982 Trans-Am, brand new. Lily grinned as she saw Charlotte running her fingers along the exterior, grinning through her tears. Lily came outside, and leaned against the car.
"Are you ever going to get in, or are you just going to stare at it?" she asked.
Charlotte stuck her tongue out at Lily, but opened the car and got in.
"I'm never going to talk bad about my dad ever again," she whispered, as she ran her hands over the steering wheel.
"Did your parents get a divorce?" asked Lily gingerly.
"Yup," said Charlotte. "My dad didn't beat my mom or anything. They're still good friends. It's just that when they were married, they couldn't stand each other. They fought over the stupidest things. I remember once my mom cooked lasagna, and my dad hates it. They fought all night."
"Wow," said Lily, not sure if she should laugh or not. Then she saw that Charlotte was grinning.
"My dad moved to Chicago, and he visits whenever he can, but he doesn't have the greatest memory. Last year, for my birthday, he put 'Merry Christmas' on the card. My family's so pathetic."
"Well, it's the thought that counts," said Lily, smiling.
"But, this makes up for everything," said Charlotte, turning her attention back to the car. "Next time I see my dad, I'm going to go crazy with joy."
"Well, since you have a car now, we can go to the movies, can't we?" asked Lily, grinning still.
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that!" said Charlotte, eyes widening. "Go ask Danny if he wants to come. I have to take this bow off before we go."
Lily paled, so her red hair stood out quite a bit on her head.
"O-okay," she stuttered, and went back inside, to find herself face-to-face with Danny in the doorway.
"Um, hi," said Lily, unable to look over the fact that they were close enough to kiss. "I was just coming to get you. Charlotte and I wanted to know if you wanted to, um, go see a movie with us. We're seeing ET"
Danny was silent for a moment as he looked into those startling green eyes. Then he smiled.
"I'd love to go with you," he said, and Lily saw a slight gleam in his blue-green eyes.
After about two minutes, Lily realized Charlotte was waiting in the car. She turned around, and led Danny to the car.
"That is not fair," said Danny to Charlotte as they got in the car. "Dad never gave me a car for my 17th birthday."
"That's because you failed the test," said Charlotte, after they had backed out of the driveway and started on the way. "You didn't get it right until you were 18, and you had already bought your own car."
Lily and Charlotte laughed, and Danny rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I'm 20 now. I'm more mature," he said, trying to defend himself.
"Yeah, real mature," said Charlotte as she saw Danny make a face at the person outside his window.
They arrived at the movie theater about 10 minutes before the movie started. Charlotte went in to save them some seats, leaving Lily and Danny to get the snacks.
"So," said Danny, looking awkward. "You go to Hogwarts."
"Yeah," said Lily, even more awkwardly. "It's a really good school."
"I bet," said Danny. There was an embarrassed pause, and then Lily spoke up again.
"So, how's Quidditch?" she asked. Why do I always fall for Quidditch players, she thought to herself.
"Oh, it's great!" he said, glad to have something to talk about. "Hey, would you like to come to practice with me tomorrow night?"
"Sure!" said Lily. She had always loved Quidditch, even though she wasn't so good at it. "What model broom do you have?"
"Cleansweep. The latest model for sale," said Danny, grinning. (A/N: Once again, this is 20 years ago!)
"Wow! Didn't that only come out last month?" she asked, very intrigued.
"Yup. After practice tomorrow, do you want to try it out?" said Danny, still smiling at her. Lily started to get a giddy feeling in her chest just looking into his blue-green eyes. She smiled at him.
"I'd love to!" she said.
"Great!" said Danny. He picked up their snacks, and they walked back to the theater, talking about America's chances for the World Cup this year, and other, more personal things.
"So, are you, um," said Danny, turning slightly red. "Are you dating anyone?"
Lily caught herself before answering "James."
"No, not anymore," she said, her eyes glittering as she smiled sweetly at Danny.
"That's good- I mean," said Danny, really turning red. Lily smiled at him, and shook her head. They had reached their seats in the theater.
"Took you long enough!" whispered Charlotte as Lily and Danny sat down. "The movie's just about to start!"
Lily and Danny had ended up sitting next to each other. At the point of the movie where Lily felt like she was going to cry, she felt someone's hand on hers. She looked at Danny, and he smiled at her. She smiled back at him, and intertwined her fingers with his. They stayed like that for the rest of the movie.
After the movie, Danny and Lily still were holding hands, and it took Charlotte a while to realize what was happening.
"I thought they could've done better in the scene where- wait," she said, seeing Danny and Lily for the first time. "I'm confused!"
"You're always confused," muttered Danny, rolling his eyes and putting his arm around Lily. Lily grinned at Charlotte, and Charlotte laughed.
"You sure get over people fast, Lily," she muttered, so Danny wouldn't hear. Lily just smiled.
*
Lily went with Danny to Quidditch practice the next night, as planned. The American team was superb; their chances of the Quidditch cup were looking good. Even a die-hard England fan Lily was surprised.
"You ready for speed?" joked Danny as he landed that night. His blue-green eyes glittered with mirth, and giving Lily the giddy feeling in her chest only Danny could create.
"I'm ready for anything," said Lily, smiling.
Danny swept a laughing Lily in his arms, and swung her around.
"Weren't ready for that, were you?" said Danny, eyes alight.
"I'm ready for anything," repeated Lily, slyly looking into Danny's eyes.
Danny seemed to think this wasn't true. He was still for a moment, then suddenly lifted her up and carried her to the stands, leaving behind the Cleansweep. He set her down on a seat, and grinned at her.
"If you were ready for that, I have only one resort left," laughed Danny.
"You were so obviously going to do that," said Lily, doing her best American accent.
Danny, without even thinking, swooped down and kissed Lily. The problem was, Lily really wasn't expecting that. She fell backwards, off of her seat. Danny laughed and pulled her up.
"You were so obviously going to do that," he said, laughing.
"You'd better go get your broom before someone comes and takes it," muttered Lily, blushing. She had never been so embarrassed!
"Come on," said Danny. "We've got to get home, anyway."
Danny and Lily walked to the parking lot hand in hand. Lily was still slightly red, but she was getting over it. Charlotte would never let her live this one down! Oh well, she thought. I can always come back with that Shrieking Shack incident…
Lily couldn't believe her and Charlotte had been friends for only a year. It seemed like they had known each other their whole lives, and had gotten in enough trouble together to last it. Lily was lucky none of them were bad enough to owl home. Last year she had put a special potion in Professor Elgort's, the potions master, goblet at dinner. He suddenly turned into a great, filthy rat, and she had gotten detention for 2 weeks, plus an owl home. Mum wasn't too happy…
"So," said Danny, jerking her out of her memories. "My sister's little boyfriend is coming tomorrow, huh? Am I going to like this guy?"
Lily considered this for a moment. She doubted Danny would like any guy that dated Charlotte, but Sirius seemed like the kind of guy that Danny would hang out with.
"Well," she started, choosing her words carefully. "He is a lot like you, but I'm sure that doesn't matter. After all, he's still dating your baby sister, and you're never going to like any of Charlotte's boyfriends."
Danny grinned as they turned the corner to the house.
"I suppose you're right," he said. "I mean, it's just weird to me to think that Charlotte's got a boyfriend. I mean, I'd had a girlfriend or two when I was her age, but it's still kind of weird, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess," said Lily, thinking. Although they didn't get along well, Lily still felt weird when Petunia started dating that Vernon Dursley fellow.
They pulled into the driveway, and went inside to find Charlotte reading by the fireplace in the living room. She jumped up and grinned at them when they walked in.
"How was practice?" she asked, hugging Danny like she hadn't seen him for ages.
"Fine," said Danny. He looked a bit tired, after being hit by the bludger a few times at practice. "I'm going to go up to bed. 'Night."
He kissed Lily on the cheek and headed upstairs.
"How was practice for you?" teased Charlotte, brown eyes sparkling.
"Um…" mumbled Lily, going red at the though of the kiss. "It was interesting…"
She mumbled the story to Charlotte, the whole time looking at the floor, and blushing. Charlotte was laughing hysterically by the time she ended.
"Shut up," said Lily, smiling in spite of herself. "Unless you want me to tell your brother how you and Sirius hooked up-"
That shut up Charlotte, and fast.
"Okay, okay," she said, calming down, but still smiling. "Truce?" She held out her hand.
"Truce," said Lily, shaking her hand jubilantly.
*
The next day, Charlotte was a nervous wreck. She brushed her hair at least 20 times in less than 2 hours, checked her make up in the mirror every 5 minutes, and changed clothes just as often. Lily was quite enjoying watching.
"Charlotte, if you don't stop fussing, you'll be wearing 3 different outfits at once by the time he gets here," teased Lily.
"Shut up," snapped Charlotte, but her face showed nothing but worry. "What if he found someone back in England? What if he totally changed? What if-"
"One thing, Sirius lives out in the middle of nowhere. He has to drive just to go next door. Another thing, Sirius hasn't changed since we were 11. I really don't expect him to now. Stop 'what if-ing' and get over it!" said Lily, still smiling. "Come on, let's go outside and wait."
So Charlotte, with assurance that she looked fine, Lily, and Danny went down to the front yard, talking under a tree. Sirius was due any moment. Danny got out the WWN, and started to play some music.
"May I have this dance?" said Danny, in a fake English accent.
"You may, sir," said Lily, curtsying as Danny bowed.
Danny pulled her into his arms and spun her around, dancing at a fast pace. He had just put her into a dip, when a voice came from behind them.
"Lily!"
Lily fell onto the hard concrete, ignoring the pains of the scrapes. Her stomach gave an unpleasant jolt, and her heart gave a mad twist.
Sirius Black was standing in the driveway, and next to him was James Potter, holding a bouquet of roses and an "I'm Sorry" card.
A/N: Ooooo, a cliffhanger! Ha! Now you have to come back when the next chapter's done! Anyway, I have the rest of the story planned out completely (well, not word for word, but you know what I mean), and it'll reach… a lot of chapters. You all know that Lily and James get back together, I mean, duh. I am not authorized to change what the books say, nor do I plan to. Oh, and about that dedication, I based this Danny off of the guy I have a crush on, so… yeah, that's why it's dedicated to him (Tara, do not scowl at the computer, did you honestly ever think I'd get over him?). I know he's never going to read this, because he's never picked up a Harry Potter book in his life (I know, I know, then why am I attracted to him?), but it makes me feel better that I get that out (I dunno why, it just does). Okay, now that you don't have to listen to me complain about my life, could you review by clicking on that little box below? I really feel depressed after writing that, and a good review would be great! Thanks!
