Chapter 8
"Good morning, Lily-flower. Jamsie said to let you know that the portkey leaves in two minutes from wherever he happens to be at the moment, and he hopes that you know how to charm the portkey to get us back home," Sirius burbled cheerfully sticking his head through Lily's bedroom door.
"Sirius! What if I had been changing? Please don't barge in on me ever again," Lily entreated.
"Alright, Lils. I'm sorry," Sirius pouted while managing to look truly sorry. "Would you like me help you carry your luggage downstairs?"
Lily shook her head. "I'm just going to put a floating spell on it, Sirius, thanks though."
Sirius nodded and studied the girl. His cinnamon eyes took in the slight swelling under the girl's eyes and her defeated posture as she cast the spell. Lily tried to hide her lack of sleep by putting on a classy emerald skirt set and pulling her hair back into a classic bun. It didn't fool Sirius.
"At least let me go down the stairs with you," Sirius suggested, a glint in his eyes. Lily nodded her assent.
Suddenly there were arms lifting her into the air, and she found herself thrown over Sirius's shoulder. The baggage rose from the floor and began to follow them down the corridor to the stairs. Lily started to protest, but Sirius interrupted.
"Lily-angel, you obviously didn't get enough sleep last night, and Isabelle Potter is a very vivacious person who will probably insist on dragging you girls on excursions for clothes. You need all the rest you can get."
The stairs finally opened into the Gryffindor common room. People turned to look and some brave ones even whistled. Rose followed James down the stairs almost fell when he stopped in his tracks.
"What was that about, Potter?" Rose asked, trying to regain her composure.
"Sirius put Lily down. She is not some sack of potatoes that should be slung over the shoulder!" James demanded stomping his foot on the ground. Josie and Remus snorted from the corner of them room where they had been in a quiet conversation.
"Sirius Sicily Black! I'm going to have to put you on one of those kiddy leashes once we get to France, aren't I. Lily is not a toy," Rose scowled.
Sirius stood shocked and stationary. "You said…you said… Sicily! How…How…"
James stomped over to Sirius and pulled Lily off Sirius's shoulder. He glared at Sirius for a moment (he didn't mind because he was still shocked that Rose had said his middle name). Lily poked James in annoyance.
"Sirius was only trying to be helpful, James Potter, so don't you be mean to him!" Lily spoke, poking James again. James looked sheepishly down at Lily and then at Sirius.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Josie yelled from the corner of the room. "WE HAVE TEN SECONDS TO ALL BE ATTACHED TO THE PORTKEY!" Everyone dashed for the portkey. Everyone barely made it, well everyone except for Peter.
Lily felt a slight tug and then a giant pull before she fell onto James in the middle of a beautiful foyer. James looked slightly ridiculous with his hair sticking in all directions and his luggage sprawled all over a finely polished marble floor. Lily giggled, and then rolled off him.
A beautiful face came into view. The girl was chewing her cherry lips and her blonde hair circled her like a glowing angel. She looked very uncertain.
"Bonjour, ah, mademoiselle. Are you Lily Gwendolyn Evans? The one that Professor Dumbledore was speaking of?" the angel asked with a most decidedly French accent.
Lily sat up in a daze. "Yes, yes I'm Lily Evans. You must be Isabelle Potter." Lily extended a hand and received the angel's perfectly manicured hand in a handshake.
"I'm so sorry to be even further of a bother, but, ah, which one of you is my cousin?" Isabelle asked, looking at the group of six in amazement. "Wait, I thought there were supposed to be seven."
"Isabelle, I'm James," James called from the floor. Isabelle looked shocked at her cousin's indecency at lying on the floor. "We've only got six here because the other person, Peter, was not quick enough to make it to the portkey in time."
"Ah well, I'll send an owl to Professor Dumbledore and tell him to either send the other or to keep him there. It shall be his decision. Oh my, I've noticed that most of you have left your clothes behind. Well, after introductions, I suppose we must go shopping. I'll pay for the clothes, of course, because they're for my saviors." She looked expectantly at everyone's astonished face.
Lily pushed a loose piece of hair out of her face. "Mademoiselle Potter, I'm Lily Gwendolyn Evans. The black-haired girl is Rosalind Marie Pederson, and the blonde is Jocelyn Rowena Chevius. You know, James now. The sandy-haired sweet boy is Remus Bradley Lupin, and the shaggy-haired boy is Sirius Sicily Black. We thank you for having us here in Paris."
"Ah, the pleasure is all mine my dear, Mademoiselle Evans…" Isabelle began.
"Lily, if you please," Lily interjected.
"All right. Let's just say we are friends and skip all the Mademoiselle and Monsieur formality," Isabelle suggested with a wide smile. "The formalities are necessary sometimes, but I hate to use them. James Godric Potter, get up from that floor this instant. You're part of the family and I expected you to act as a host, but no, instead this charming young lady has taken most of your responsibilities." James ignored Isabelle by going to sleep. "Bah! My father was like this. Every time someone tried to chastise him, he insisted on falling asleep. You must not let James get away with this Lily or you'll never break his habit." A look of slight disgust passed over her immaculate features before she turned back to the girls. The guys had gone to James to try to wake him up. "Let's go, dears. We can leave the boys to find their own suites. You can come with me into my wing."
The girls walked away without so much as a glance behind. "Great, James. This is perfect. You've gotten us lost in this big house without us even having to move," Remus muttered.
James smiled happily in his sleep. Remus knocked him up side of the head before conjuring a pillow and blanket for James. Sirius sat on the shining floors.
"Well, I suppose we have to stay here because we're like the three musketeers. You know, 'All for one and one for all'," Sirius smiled while conjuring two more sets of pillows and blankets. "We might as well get a nap while we wait for Jamos here to wake up."
Remus sighed and settled bonelessy onto the floor. "I suppose you're right Sirimus."
"Aren't I always, Remos?" Sirius asked before falling asleep in Isabelle Potter's foyer.