FOREVER
Year Four
Part Five
Subtitled: Identifying the Pieces
A/N- There was a huge plot hole because I just now remembered that Sirius and Lily are cousins so I changed it around a bit. If you're confused I reposted the last part and you can reread it for the changes. I'm really sorry! Oh and ten reviews and I continue! Thanks to the following people for reviewing. Ginny, *Hermiron778*, Bluewriter, Serene
Amelia - haha No worries everything is definitely NOT resolved! Thanks so much! As for Annabelle and Adam you'll just have to wait and see!
Jinskid3 - Hehe, I think you're a little confused! It's ok though. Sirius isn't really the person who kissed
Lily, Peter did under the potion (I forget the name, you know the one that turns you into someone else? Oh yeah polyjuice!) Sorry if that wasn't too clear
Arwen - Good luck and thanks! I will definitely review on your so-called "Lousy" Story (Which is actually quite good!) You can count on it!
Hey, yeah
Now here's the story
One we both know
About two people
When they lost their self control
If we're not careful
It might be you and me
When things are good
You gotta let them be
Oh, why you wanna play me around
Why you wanna mess with this love that we've found
Why you wanna tear us apart
If you're trying to break my heart
You'd better give it up, give it up
Give it up - 98 degrees
*****
"LILY! Lily, you have to come out some time hun!" Anna called, banging on the bathroom door.
"No I don't!" She yelled back through sniffles.
"Come on Lil! It's nearly one am! Go to bed, please!" Anna leaned against the door in exhaustion. After the dance Lily ran all the way back to the dorm and shut herself in the bathroom. Finally an idea came to Anna. "OK Lily, I'm going to bed." There was no reply. Anna moved her feet loudly in place and consecutively quieter to create the illusion that she was walking away. Silently she reached for her wand and whispered some words. The light directly above her turned off in a flash. For a few moments only silence could be heard. Finally, after a few minutes the bathroom door creaked open and Lily poked her head cautiously out. Anna seized the moment and gripped the door. She pried it open and pulled a gasping Lily out.
"Oh! I hate you!" Lily said resentfully when she realized what had happened.
"Lily…" Anna began.
"I don't want to talk about it!" She snapped, purposely avoiding her friends gaze.
"Sometimes the things you wish to avoid more than anything are the things you need to talk about the most." Anna said sagely. Lily glared her.
"Stop being so goddamn wise!"
"You have to talk about it some time you know." Anna resumed her normal voice.
''I don't." Lily said crossing her arms childishly. Anna sighed. It was going to be a long night.
*****
The clocked ticked relentlessly in the corner. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. It went on and on just as it had since over five hours earlier. The silence in the room was thick. Sirius could feel it digging into him and slowly suffocating him. Everyone was still. James was staring at the door like a lion about to kill its prey. Remus hadn't returned yet and the atmosphere was getting more oppressive with each minute that passed. Sirius both dreaded and welcomed Remus' return. After all it was better than waiting. Peter, who ad returned about an hour after Sirius and James, was eyeing James warily. When Peter had first walked in James had tackled him. James had landed two punches on Peter's face before Sirius had convinced him that he wasn't Remus. At the rate James was tensing, Sirius seriously pitied Remus. He just hoped he was awake enough to stop any real damage from forming. Not that he didn't think that Remus deserved whatever he got - he did. It was just that they were both his friends and to tell the truth he still hadn't given up hope that maybe this was all just a huge misunderstanding. Suddenly the knob to the door turned, jerking Sirius out of his musings. Remus walked in happily, humming all the while. He practically skipped into the room. James, Sirius , and Peter all followed him silently with their eyes. Remus turned to them all and grinned.
"What's up with you?" He asked, noticing his friend's faces. Sirius turned to James and eyed him warily. At first James gave a laugh. At the sound of his friend's laughter Sirius' spirits lifted considerably. It was only after several moments that Sirius realized that the chuckles were entirely mirthless.
"That's rich." James laughed bitterly. Suddenly Remus' smile fell.
"What?" He asked looking really concerned. James gaped at him in utter fury.
"Why were you so late?" James demanded, barely keeping his temper in check. Remus grinned saucily.
"Well, you see, there was this girl and we got a little carried away…" Remus was grinning like an idiot.
"You were making out with her?" James practically yelled. Remus ignored his tone.
"Yeah man and she is a REALLY good kisser too. " He gave a loud laugh. Sirius stared at him as though willing him to stop talking. "I mean I always just thought of her as a friend but you should see her body…" Remus looked wistfully out the window. James walked stiffly passed Remus, brushing his should harshly against Remus'. "Where are you going James?" Remus called happily after him.
"I'm going to return a favor is all." He said in a strangely cryptic tone. Sirius contemplated going after him but he knew it was useless when he was in a mood like this. With a sigh, Sirius gathered himself and left to take a shower.
"This was low Remus, even for you." He said with an even look and left the room. Remus stared after them in confusion. Suddenly he turned to Peter.
"Why should it matter to them if I make out with Roslyn?" He asked looking rather stunned. Peter gave a strange smile and shrugged before climbing tiredly under the covers.
*****
Lily didn't care that it was three AM; she needed some air. Anna had questioned her relentlessly for over an hour straight and finally, out of utter exasperation, Lily had put a spell on her to make her go to sleep. Now, with a heavy heart, she slipped into one if Hogwarts' many gardens. She moved slowly around, following whatever path her feet led her to. She didn't really have a destination in mind, but instead wandered aimlessly about. The gardens were all but deserted and the moon shown above providing a creepy but bright glow. Lily wasn't sure how far or for how long she walked, but after awhile Lily heard a strange rustling ahead of. With her head held high and a recklessness that comes from extreme exhaustion and lack of thinking, Lily plowed forward. As she came closer to the bush her steps became more hesitant. The bush seemed to be shaking as wildly as her heart. With one deep breath she parted the bushes and gave a loud gasp.
*****
Anna tossed and turned. Something was not right. There was a cool presence in the room that made her skin tingle. It crept up her arms and suddenly her blanket was flung off her. Her eyes shot open and she sat up abruptly. Cold sweat drenched her face but all seemed normal. To her left Roslyn was muttering under her breath and just beyond her was Lessie who was sucking her thumb and clutching her bear, Twinkles. Anna sat a moment to catch her breath and looked to her right to see if Lily was all right. Lily's bed was empty. In a second of realization, Anna swore under breath. She suddenly remembered Lily pulling out her wand.
"Damn." She said and pulled herself slowly out of bed. Just as she reached the door, something hit her cold and hard across the back of her head. She fell to her knees and to darkness.
*****
James sat up abruptly from his spot in the bushes.
"There is an explanation for this Lily." He said gesturing to the space next to him. Maggie Boots, a Ravenclaw fourth year and Lily's particular enemy, sat up too and put her arm around James' waist.
"I don't believe you." She gasped, sputtering in anger. "This is… I mean…how could you?" She turned away so that the tears in her eyes couldn't be visible. James held his head in his hands with shame when suddenly anger overtook him. He looked up.
"How could I? How could I?" He demanded loudly. "You're the one who kissed my best friend."
"He kissed me! Okay? ME! I didn't kiss him, I would never do that to you." She stared at him for a few more seconds.
"Awe, poor Lily!" Maggie cooed, tossing her brown hair. "Did your boyfriend leave you? Well the fact that you're a mudblood was about to hit you in the face some time. I'm jus shocked at it took this long." She sneered at Lily. Lily didn't even bother trying to respond to such an attack and turned to James instead.
"No, I left him." She said to Maggie before turning to James "We're over." She said, her voice deathly quiet and fled.
*****
James walked quickly up the stairs into his room and just as he had shut the door he heard a blood-curdling shriek from below. He knew that shriek all to well - Lily. He ran to the first bed he saw and pulled Sirius from beneath the covers.
"Come on Sirius." He said making for the door. Sirius stared at him groggily.
"Whaa…?" He asked following James out the door. He almost killed himself as James dragged him down the stairs. When they reached the dorm they found Lily sobbing over Anna, who was on the ground, face down. Lessie was desperately searching for her wand to magick Anna off the ground. Lessie saw them and sighed.
"Well don't just stand there, help! We have to get her to the nurse." They stared dumbly at her for a moment before each took a side a hoisted her up. Sirius had joined them at this point and was carrying her head. Lily was still sobbing and screaming were dulled to a gentle roar but between the six of them, they managed to get to the nurse alive.
"What happened?" The nurse demanded staring pointedly at Sirius.
"What?" He yelled, throwing his hands up. "I didn't do anything." Everyone glared at him and James snorted something that sounded strangely like "yeah right". Lessie rolled her eyes and after making sure that Anna was situated on the nearest bed grabbed the two calmest people nearest to her and left the room with the nurse to explain what had happened. With Lessie, Roslyn, and Sirius gone the air turned awkward again. James was trying to look at Anna but kept finding his gaze on Lily instead and Lily, was staring determinedly out of the window, debating whether to hit James for doing this to her or Remus for putting her in this position in the first place. Remus was looking extremely confused and looked back on forth between his two friends trying to figure out what was going on. Lily was crying but James wasn't holding her; he wasn't even comforting her. Peter was watching all of this with increasing satisfaction.
"Okay, What the hell is going on?" Remus asked finally after about thirty more seconds of silence.
"Stop pretending that you don't know, this is getting really old!" James banged his hand loudly on the bed. Lily immediately glared at him.
"Stop it James! You'll wake Anna up." She growled. James gave a hollow laugh.
"No I won't, she's unconscious." He sneered at her. "You'll be lucky if she ever wakes up again, and don't tell me what to do." He said his voice rising.
"Don't talk like that." She screamed with pain.
"James." Remus growled warningly but James was hurting too and he was on a roll; he wouldn't be deterred.
"With you as her friend she'll die." He knew what he was saying was very, very wrong but something in him had gone temporarily crazy and he plunged recklessly on. "Your friends have a habit of doing that. Not even your family stuck around." Lily gasped in pain as the truth of his words hit her. With a shocked shake of her head she got up and ran quickly from the room. Peter stayed where he was and made no motion to go after her and James' pride prevented him from doing so, so Sirius ran after her.
"Not you too?" James asked coldly. Remus looked at him in utter astonishment.
"How could you do that to her?" Remus looked at his friend as though trying to see into his thoughts. James shook his head.
"Go on, go to her. Dig the knife deeper." His voice reeked with bitterness.
Remus looked as though he were going to say something but thought better of it. Almost as soon as he had left, Lessie, Roslyn, Sirius and the nurse came back. Sirius looked at chairs that were lying askew on the floor and searched for Lily. She was gone. With a groan he saw that Remus was absent also. James held his head in his hands and Sirius knew directly what had happened. He sighed and went to his friend while the nurse tended Anna.
*****
The sun broke through the window, making Sirius squint in his sleep. With great reluctance he pried his eyes open. His head pounded and he was sore all over. The chair he was sleeping in by Anna's bed had placed him upright for the night. The clock to his left read 7:20 am. He had gotten only two and half-hours of sleep, three if you counted the half-hour before James woke him up to find Anna. Beside him James stirred. He opened his eyes and groaned.
"Morning." Sirius said as brightly as he could muster. James nodded his reply and turned his head away from the window in a short-lived attempt to get back to sleep. Sirius laughed at his friend quietly and looked to Anna. She looked as though she was sleeping and he before he knew it, his hands were around her's. The nurse had said that she had mended the blow (they had determined that that was exactly what it was) but it was uncertain when and if she would wake up again. He knew that they had barely forty minutes before they were expected for questioning by Professor Dumbledore. Lessie and Roslyn had already undergone the questions last night and they said it wasn't that bad. With a sigh he untangled his hand from her's and got up to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes. He dragged James onto his feet.
"Come on." Sirius said as soothingly as he could.
"Where are we going?" James asked. Sirius couldn't help noticing how perfectly miserable he looked.
"We're going to change before out meeting with Professor Dumbledore." He said, gathering James' slippers, which had slipped off during the night.
"Oh." Was all he said and followed Sirius dejectedly out of the door.
*****
The meeting had started over a half-hour ago but Lily and Remus hadn't shown up. After waiting for awhile they went to find them. At first they had expected to find them in each of their dorms. They first checked in the boy's dorm, even though Sirius and James had been there only minutes before when they were changing, nevertheless they checked again but it had been empty. So they went to the girl's dorm. They had knocked first and when there was no reply Professor Dumbledore opened the door. He went first and was followed by Peter. James and Sirius brought up the rear. Dumbledore walked to each of the beds and pulled the curtains back. The first one was empty. He moved to the second bed and slowly pulled back the curtains. The sight he saw nearly made him burst out laughing, although he contained himself and knew he had to make do with a twinkle in his eyes. This was a very serious situation and could barely think of what James would say when he saw it.
"Ahem." Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly. The two sleeping figures slowly opened their eyes. Remus was the first to realize what had happened. He looked to the red head he was holding in his arms and then to the headmaster staring at them. This definitely looked bad. Boy was he glad that they were both dressed.
"This isn't what it looks like!" He said quickly. Sirius and James had come over by this point and Sirius nearly fell over in shock.
Will it never end? He thought tiredly. This would do nothing to help the friendship. Peter looked on from the corner and grinned inside. This had turned out better than he had hoped.
"I'm sure." James said sarcastically and turned on heel.
"Mr. Potter, where are you going?" Dumbledore asked the boy.
"Back to your office, I'll wait for you there." Dumbledore sighed.
"Very well Mr. Potter. Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew you'd better go with him." They nodded dejectedly and followed James out the door.
"Professor, nothing happened I swear." Remus said, just now pulling himself away from Lily. Lily had by this time woken up and stared groggily at the Professor.
"Oh, hello Professor." She said cheerfully enough and obviously not entirely awake. The professor hid a smile.
"Get dressed Ms. Evans, you have a lot of explaining to do."
