Title: Understand Me (4/?)

Author: Eleret

Author E-mail:Eleret@aol.com

Category: Romance/Angst

Rating: PG-13 (For some kissing, depressing stuff, and adult themes)

Spoilers: PoA GoF (maybe) (Knowledge in all of the books is recommended but not necessary.)

Summary: Lily Evans and James Potter have been on the same Quiditch team for a while, yet they know almost nothing about each other. Narcissa Claude and Sirius Black are completely different and they don't even know each other yet. Remus Lupin can't figure Nancy Bode out. Sybil Trelawney and Peter Petigrew form a club for unappreciated people. And no matter how much they deny it, what all of these eight teens want most is someone to understand them. N/S, L/J, R/OC (not a Mary Sue), and P/Sybil.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own only Nancy Bode's first name and Narcissa Claude's last name.

A/N: Fourth chapter! Gosh, this one was quick! It's all L/J. I'll do more of the other characters in the next chapter, but this one was begging to be written.

Chapter Four: Quidditch at Midnight

If someone had told Lily Evans on the day she first went to Hogwarts that she would end up being a tomboy, she would have had them checked into the insane ward at the local hospital. However, when she came back home after her first year, she would have had to let them out again, because they would have been right. When Lily came to Hogwarts she had been a very studious girl who hated sports. She got good grades and after school she went home and read books. That was before Lily discovered Quidditch, though. Quidditch was everything Lily had ever dreamed of. As a child she had always wanted to fly, and now she could. Lily had very little training for Quidditch in her first year, apart from the Quidditch lessons taught by Madam Hooch, but she had become obsessed with it.

After her first year, Lily had begged and pleaded with her parents until they had given in and gotten her a broom. It wasn't a wonderful broom, like the Silver Arrow she now owned, but it had served its purpose. All summer she had rode it around her room with the curtains drawn. When she had gotten back to school, she had begun practicing at night or in the mornings or afternoons when the Quidditch pitch was free. Lily still got very good grades in school, mostly without trying, but her passion was Quidditch. The only problems she had had were her lack of training and her lack of coordination. Lily had practiced those, too, though, and she had gradually gotten better. Now, she was keeper on the Quidditch team.

At the moment, however, Lily was stuck in the Library studying for a Transfiguration test the next day. Looking out the window with a sigh, she saw that it was a beautiful night. The Moon was a perfect half-circle. The sky was clear of clouds and the stars were bright. God, it was a beautiful night to be flying. Lily sighed and looked back down at her notes. Probably only half an hour more of homework and then she could be done.

Lily had decided earlier that she was going to go flying tonight. For one thing, she needed to practice for their first game, although it wasn't until after the Slytherin/Hufflepuff game, which was in two weeks. For another thing, Lily just needed to get out. The air was surprisingly warm for early November, and Lily had been feeling very restless at night. And also, Lily liked flying at night better than in the day. At night everything was sharper and clearer. All her senses were heightened by the darkness and the calm. It seemed as though she could fly twice as fast and work twice as well. She would have to leave late, to be sure that everyone was asleep, but the wait would be worth it.

As Lily thought about all of this, she worked doggedly on her homework. Finishing her Transfiguration, she got to work on finishing up her History of Magic Essay. Before she had realized it, she was done.

"Yes!" Lily whispered (since it was the Library) as she finished the last line of her essay. She was free of homework now. Quickly gathering up her parchment, books, quills, and ink, she hurried out of the Library, smiling through Madam Pince's un-approving glare.

***

James sighed and turned over in bed. He had been waiting for sleep for at least an hour, probably more like an hour and a half. He had closed the curtains to block out the piercing moonlight, but had found them too stifling, so had had to open them again. Now he was lying face-down the block out the bright light. He sighed. It wasn't even a full moon, so why was it so bright out?

It was then that James was struck with a brilliant idea, for apparently no reason at all. He would go flying. He sat up and blessed the moonlight that helped him find clothes so quickly. He quickly changed and grabbed his broom from beside his bed. Then he slowly opened the window, to assure it wouldn't creak, and hopped on his broom.

Soaring out over Hogwarts, James couldn't believe he'd never thought of this before. The moon was a gorgeous half-sphere, and the stars were bright jewels in the sky. He flew up until he was high above Hogwarts, looking down on the moon-washed stone towers and roofs. Then he slowly spiraled down until he came to land on one of the roofs (he suspected it might be the Great Hall) and lay down there, looking up at the sky.

After a while, he felt the peaceful mood leave him, and jumped up and grabbed his broom. Swinging onto it, he veered steeply down. He flew down and away from the castle until he came to a stop about ten feet above the lake. He skimmed above the surface of the lake for a while, then turned and came to the Quidditch pitch.

It was on his way to the Quidditch pitch that he realized he wasn't alone outside.

***

Around eleven, Lily sat up. She had been waiting for two hours, reading her book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain, with the curtains drawn. She slid quietly out of her bed and grabbed a cloak and her broom. She fastened the cloak over her warm flannel pajamas and grabbed her broom. The window was already open because Alanna insisted that fresh air was a necessity. She jumped lightly onto her broom and soared out the window.

As she raced out into the fresh air, she gave a happy sigh of release. Her problems and worries couldn't find her when she was up in the air. She could let everything fall away with the ground. Everything but the moment flowed away. She lived only for what would happen in the next thirty seconds. Then she saw the other figure.

With a gasp, she came to an abrupt halt. The other broom-rider was skimming a couple feet above the lake. She had never seen anyone else out at night. She wondered if she should go back in, but it was too good a night to do that. She would just have to share her escape with whomever it was that was out here. Then the other rider turned and saw her.

The rider had been turning towards the Quidditch pitch, and had seen her above.

What will happen now? I do hope it's not a Slytherin. And yet…I almost recognize that style… Lily mused as the rider came towards her. The way the person moved with a quick, quiet grace told her that they were very good. The movements seemed very natural, almost as if the person had been born on a broom. And then she realized who it was. That pose with the head tilted slightly to one side, knees curled up, and back straight- it was unmistakable.

***

James sat there for a second, annoyed at having someone else intrude apon his sanctuary. Then he decided that since they had obviously seen him, he'd better go up and make sure they didn't tattle on him.

When James was a little over halfway up to the person, he heard an unmistakable voice call out his name.

"James!" cried the figure, and suddenly James new who it was.

"Lily? Lily Evans?" he called back, leaning over his broom to go faster.

When he reached her, he saw it was Lily.

She gave him a smile, "Hallo, James! What're you doing out here at this time of the night?"

He grinned back at her, his heart fluttering slightly for no good reason, "I could ask you the same thing, you know."

Lily blushed, "So you could, I suppose. Well, I'll answer you if you'll answer me."

"Alright then. I'm out here because I couldn't sleep. Also, it's a beautiful night out and I wanted to enjoy it."

Lily nodded, "Logical enough. The truth is, I go flying at night a lot. At night everything just seems ten times as clear and fast and wonderful. I guess it's just a habit of mine," she finished with a shrug.

James nodded in understanding, and then said, quite unexpectedly, "I'll race you to the Quidditch pitch!"

Lily sat for a second, trying to process what he had just said, and then she took off. Leaning forward so that she was lying almost flat over her broom, her feet tucked up, she shot off like an arrow from a bow. She quickly caught up to James until she was just a foot behind him. And as the came careening onto the pitch, they were neck and neck.

Finally, at the far end of the pitch, they slowed down. Leaning back against the forward motion, the stopped and hovered mid-air.

"Tied," James gasped out, still breathless from their out-of-control flight onto the Quidditch pitch.

"Yep."

"So….I guess we should be getting back," James said after a few minutes of silence, his voice filled with regret.

Lily sighed, "I guess so."

They flew back in silence, side by side, letting the wind ruffle their hair and send it flying back, just enjoying the quiet peace for a few moments. When the got to their separate dorms, they stopped for a second.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then," James said, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

"Uhuh," Lily nodded, looking at James as if seeing him for the first time. How had she never noticed how damn good he looked?

Then, quite impulsively, James leaned over and kissed Lily on the lips. Blushing, and glad that the dark would hide it, he mumbled, "Goodnight," and flew into the window to his dormitory.

Lily sat there on her broom, dumbstruck. James had just kissed her. As sad as it was, it had been Lily's first kiss, and she was nervous. Had it meant anything? Had he just been being nice? Or had he meant more?

Needless to say, neither of them got much sleep that night, even when they were back in their beds.

***

End of Chapter Four.

A/N2: So what did you think? Don't forget to review with comments, criticism, or just encouragement. I haven't gotten any reviews for chapter three yet, but it's been only a few days.

Next chapter you will see more of Narcissa and Sirius, and maybe some Nancy and Remus. Perhaps the other characters, too. I'm also getting more romantic tendencies built into the story too, so hope for that. Probably not a lot of snogging for a while, though.