Disclaimer: I own the plot, and anything you don't recognize- which may be a lot or a little, but... yeah.
Where Swimming Soothes the Soul
Chapter Six
Two Thursdays passed, both quite uneventful. Lily was in a studying frenzy, as midterm was coming up fast. Louise spent the two weeks in the library with Jonathan, and to her surprise she actually enjoyed talking to him. Allison and Jenna had caught the eyes of two very cute Hufflepuffs, and spent their free time playing hard to get. All of them pretty much ignored James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
Later one night, Lily swam in the bathtub, enjoying the solitude. She knew that James would not burst in since he'd already been there early in the morning. "Splish Splash, I was taking a bath!" she hummed, wiping tears from her eyes. That had been her mother's favorite song.
Strangely enough, Lily felt almost peaceful when she thought of her parents now. A month ago it had felt like someone had ripped out her heart and smashed it... now it was put back together, but you were able to see the cracks. That's what time is for, she supposed. To heal. The only thing that kept her from resting was the fact that Voldemort was still out there, unscathed and at large.
Just then, the door opened and James Potter stumbled in. It wasn't surprise that made Lily stare- no, it was the tickle-me-pink ballet outfit complete with tutu that made her eyes widen. My goodness, he even had pink barrettes in his hair!
"Stupid-" James said a naughty word under his breath. He suddenly turned around, and stopped short when he saw Lily neck-high in bubbly water. His gaze flickered to her clothes on the side and back again, and his mouth and eyebrows lifted up. Too far up to Lily's liking.
"You know," Lily told him icily. "The meaning of the term 'bitch' is a female dog. As there are none of those inside Hogwarts, maybe you could enlighten me on your choice of words?"
Surprisingly, James's tone didn't match Lily's. "It was Brenna McCauthry." James had dated Brenna for a week at the end of sixth year. She had taken the breakup hard, to put it lightly, and was forever trying to find a way to get back at him- or get him back.
"She's a psycho!" he exclaimed earnestly. "Honestly, she chased me down the hall and started hexing me, saying that if I didn't get back together with her she'll tell McGonagall that I took advantage of her!"
Lily laughed- she couldn't help it. "I don't think it'd be possible for you to take advantage of her."
"Really?" James asked, interested in hearing what she had to say. "Why not?"
Lily grinned. "For one, the way she chases you, with her bangs flying up like that, she looks like the devil. And no one gets the devil... except God of course, if you're a believer. Second, for you to... well, you know, with her" (here James pulled a face) "it wouldn't be forced because she'd have her clothes off even before you could say 'do me.'"
James chuckled. "True."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before-
"Uh, James? Could you... turn around for a second?"
"Oh- sure."
"Thanks." Lily quickly hopped out and struggled into her clothes, keeping her back towards him just in case.
"Uh, Lil-"
"Just a moment, I'm almost finished," she interrupted. Turning around, she found herself face to face with James... in the mirror.
Lily's face turned beet red as James hastened to reassure her. "Don't worry, I closed my eyes the second I saw you get out."
Lily turned even brighter, and her face now matched the color of her freckles.
"I didn't see anything!" James exclaimed exasperatedly.
"You sure?"
"Yes!"
"Okay, you so better not have or your memory is gone like that," Lily snapped her fingers.
"Like I'd admit it now!" James grinned. "I'd be scared to death. You're very powerful in Charms."
"Thank you," Lily said, strangely touched by the compliment.
"Yeah," James looked awkwardly at his feet before adding, "almost as good as I am in Transfiguration."
Lily rolled her eyes. "You have a beautiful moment, and then you open your trap wider."
"It's a curse."
"Like the curse you put on my hair," Lily muttered bitterly, but James still overheard.
"That was an accident!" he exclaimed, annoyed. "Look, it's growing back. See?"
"I know, but- never mind." Something about the way she said that told James he shouldn't pursue the subject.
They walked in silence to the common room. "Are you coming in?" Lily asked him.
"Nah. I'll head to the Library. Gotta spy on my sis." He winked at Lily. "She getting hot and heavy with that guy or what?" he questioned.
Lily made a zipping motion on her lips with her fingers, and James groaned. "That's what I was afraid of."
Lily laughed and told the Fat Lady the password, whom of which was staring at them with no little degree of amazement on her face.
"Hey, Lily, meet me down in the common room tomorrow night at 10 to work on our plans for the dance."
"Okay," Lily said, surprised he was willing to give up a perfectly excellent, not to mention rare, weekend night for that. Just before turning to go in, she said, "You know, that's the first decent, optional conversation that we've had since fi... I mean, since a long time."
James' face turned stony, a look that Lily had gotten used to over the past couple of years. He nodded thinly at her, and Lily walked into the tower with a feeling in her stomach she couldn't- or wouldn't- identify. Whatever it was, it wasn't making her feel pleasant.
Just before the portrait slammed shut, she heard James call, "By the way... how often do you work out? Because you have a very nicely defined gluteus maximus."
Spinning around to catch the grin on his face before he disappeared around the corner, Lily scowled and stomped up the stairs, knowing it would be useless to follow him; he probably knew the way around Hogwarts better than the makers themselves.
James thinks he can get away with anything...
"I'm going to go running," Lily declared, and as she had none of her own, she grabbed some of Allison's skin-tight spandex to put on.
That's all for now... man, do I love building up the plot!! Well, please e-mail me, review, whatever. Thanks for your time, and hope it was worth it!
Also, thanks so much to my past reviewers. You guys/girls rock!!
También, I think I deserve a lot of credit for getting this in when there's soccer practice two hours, six days a week!
Where Swimming Soothes the Soul
Chapter Six
Two Thursdays passed, both quite uneventful. Lily was in a studying frenzy, as midterm was coming up fast. Louise spent the two weeks in the library with Jonathan, and to her surprise she actually enjoyed talking to him. Allison and Jenna had caught the eyes of two very cute Hufflepuffs, and spent their free time playing hard to get. All of them pretty much ignored James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
Later one night, Lily swam in the bathtub, enjoying the solitude. She knew that James would not burst in since he'd already been there early in the morning. "Splish Splash, I was taking a bath!" she hummed, wiping tears from her eyes. That had been her mother's favorite song.
Strangely enough, Lily felt almost peaceful when she thought of her parents now. A month ago it had felt like someone had ripped out her heart and smashed it... now it was put back together, but you were able to see the cracks. That's what time is for, she supposed. To heal. The only thing that kept her from resting was the fact that Voldemort was still out there, unscathed and at large.
Just then, the door opened and James Potter stumbled in. It wasn't surprise that made Lily stare- no, it was the tickle-me-pink ballet outfit complete with tutu that made her eyes widen. My goodness, he even had pink barrettes in his hair!
"Stupid-" James said a naughty word under his breath. He suddenly turned around, and stopped short when he saw Lily neck-high in bubbly water. His gaze flickered to her clothes on the side and back again, and his mouth and eyebrows lifted up. Too far up to Lily's liking.
"You know," Lily told him icily. "The meaning of the term 'bitch' is a female dog. As there are none of those inside Hogwarts, maybe you could enlighten me on your choice of words?"
Surprisingly, James's tone didn't match Lily's. "It was Brenna McCauthry." James had dated Brenna for a week at the end of sixth year. She had taken the breakup hard, to put it lightly, and was forever trying to find a way to get back at him- or get him back.
"She's a psycho!" he exclaimed earnestly. "Honestly, she chased me down the hall and started hexing me, saying that if I didn't get back together with her she'll tell McGonagall that I took advantage of her!"
Lily laughed- she couldn't help it. "I don't think it'd be possible for you to take advantage of her."
"Really?" James asked, interested in hearing what she had to say. "Why not?"
Lily grinned. "For one, the way she chases you, with her bangs flying up like that, she looks like the devil. And no one gets the devil... except God of course, if you're a believer. Second, for you to... well, you know, with her" (here James pulled a face) "it wouldn't be forced because she'd have her clothes off even before you could say 'do me.'"
James chuckled. "True."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before-
"Uh, James? Could you... turn around for a second?"
"Oh- sure."
"Thanks." Lily quickly hopped out and struggled into her clothes, keeping her back towards him just in case.
"Uh, Lil-"
"Just a moment, I'm almost finished," she interrupted. Turning around, she found herself face to face with James... in the mirror.
Lily's face turned beet red as James hastened to reassure her. "Don't worry, I closed my eyes the second I saw you get out."
Lily turned even brighter, and her face now matched the color of her freckles.
"I didn't see anything!" James exclaimed exasperatedly.
"You sure?"
"Yes!"
"Okay, you so better not have or your memory is gone like that," Lily snapped her fingers.
"Like I'd admit it now!" James grinned. "I'd be scared to death. You're very powerful in Charms."
"Thank you," Lily said, strangely touched by the compliment.
"Yeah," James looked awkwardly at his feet before adding, "almost as good as I am in Transfiguration."
Lily rolled her eyes. "You have a beautiful moment, and then you open your trap wider."
"It's a curse."
"Like the curse you put on my hair," Lily muttered bitterly, but James still overheard.
"That was an accident!" he exclaimed, annoyed. "Look, it's growing back. See?"
"I know, but- never mind." Something about the way she said that told James he shouldn't pursue the subject.
They walked in silence to the common room. "Are you coming in?" Lily asked him.
"Nah. I'll head to the Library. Gotta spy on my sis." He winked at Lily. "She getting hot and heavy with that guy or what?" he questioned.
Lily made a zipping motion on her lips with her fingers, and James groaned. "That's what I was afraid of."
Lily laughed and told the Fat Lady the password, whom of which was staring at them with no little degree of amazement on her face.
"Hey, Lily, meet me down in the common room tomorrow night at 10 to work on our plans for the dance."
"Okay," Lily said, surprised he was willing to give up a perfectly excellent, not to mention rare, weekend night for that. Just before turning to go in, she said, "You know, that's the first decent, optional conversation that we've had since fi... I mean, since a long time."
James' face turned stony, a look that Lily had gotten used to over the past couple of years. He nodded thinly at her, and Lily walked into the tower with a feeling in her stomach she couldn't- or wouldn't- identify. Whatever it was, it wasn't making her feel pleasant.
Just before the portrait slammed shut, she heard James call, "By the way... how often do you work out? Because you have a very nicely defined gluteus maximus."
Spinning around to catch the grin on his face before he disappeared around the corner, Lily scowled and stomped up the stairs, knowing it would be useless to follow him; he probably knew the way around Hogwarts better than the makers themselves.
James thinks he can get away with anything...
"I'm going to go running," Lily declared, and as she had none of her own, she grabbed some of Allison's skin-tight spandex to put on.
That's all for now... man, do I love building up the plot!! Well, please e-mail me, review, whatever. Thanks for your time, and hope it was worth it!
Also, thanks so much to my past reviewers. You guys/girls rock!!
También, I think I deserve a lot of credit for getting this in when there's soccer practice two hours, six days a week!