₪₪₪₪₪₪₪ Three Years Later ₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
"Trisha, I can't believe you got us in here."
My best friend, Trisha Whyte, had managed to get me, Lily Evans, and our other best friend, Lianna Thrope, into Wizarding London's most prestigious theatre. The theatre where, if one was lucky enough to get in, one could rub shoulders with the rich, famous, and, in my opinion, the extremely snobby. But, all the same, we were lucky to get in.
"Why couldn't we just go to the cinema?" asked Lianna.
"Because, Miss Forgetful, we wanted a chance to show off our new outfits, and to celebrate our Maeve's wonderful fortune," explained Trisha.
"Oh, right."
"Sometimes, L.C., I wonder why you were in Ravenclaw."
"Me too, Maeve. Me too."
The line inside the lobby moved slower than a snail. I was just about ready to lean on a wall, and save my feet some torture from the shoes I was wearing, but someone knocked into me.
I crashed into the wall, and was crushed behind a guy.
"Sirius!" he yelled. "I know you love to play the dog and all, but do you have to do it in civilized places?"
"Sorry, Jamie-boy," said Sirius.
"Hey, sweets," I said. "Not that having you against me is a bad thing, but I do need to breathe."
"Oh, I'm so sorry." He got back on his feet, and helped me. "I'm James, James Potter."
I had a flashback to that night in McKinnon's. So I decided to play nice, and see if he'd grown up at all.
"It's nice to meet you, James. I'm Lily, Lily Evans. Friends call me Lae, Tiger, or Maeve."
"Friends call me Drew, Jamie-boy, or Jim. But Jim is reserved for my mum. And one friend who calls me Jamie-boy is about to be ex-communicated."
"I didn't know you were Catholic, Drew."
Trisha and L.C. started laughing.
"What?"
"Never mind, Drew," I said.
"It's a muggle thing," Trisha, L.C. and I said together.
"Jamie," another one of his friends said, "being Catholic, it's a religion, a sect of muggle Christianity."
"Thanks, Remus."
"Are you going to introduce us to these lovely ladies, Jamie-boy?" asked the one who had pushed him.
"Ladies, these are two of my three best friends in the whole wide world, Sirius Black, whose name belies his true character, and Remus Lupin, a guy you'll always want to have around in a jam."
I mirrored Drew's speech, saying "Gentlemen, these are two of my two best friends in the whole wide world, Trisha Whyte, nothing like the colour, and L.C. Thrope, fondly known as L.C. or, because of her obsession with the breed, Lycanthrope."
"Really?" James asked. "Ever met one?"
"Not yet," she replied, "but I keep hoping to. They're fascinating, and frightfully misunderstood, but apparently no one knows that. I'm working on something that might help them to transform easier, but since I don't have one to test it on, I've got nothing so far."
"That's a shame," Remus agreed. "I believe that most lycanthropes are actually nice people, who had something happen to them that was out of their control."
"You've found a kindred spirit, L.C. Isn't it great?"
"Yes. I wonder, where are you seated?"
"We're row G, seats 10-12, on the second tier."
"You're so kidding."
"I can be serious sometimes," answered Sirius.
"Why?" James interjected.
"We're on the second tier-" I started.
"Row G-" said Trisha.
"Seats 7-9," finished L.C.
The line began to move forward again, and we actually began the climb to the second tier.
"That's great," James said. "We could sit next to each other."
"I don't really know," I replied. "I was kind of hoping I could sit in between my friends."
He gave a puppy face to me. "Pwease?"
"Well…" I chewed my lip as I thought. "I suppose I could sit with you."
He began to cheer.
"On one condition."
"Anything you wish."
I beckoned him closer so I could whisper in his ear.
"I will sit with you if you set my friends up with your friends."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"You're the Gryffindor, with your grand plans and boundless courage."
"You're the smart one."
"So you admit it!"
"Huh?" asked our friends.
"Nothing, guys. Drew just admitted that I'm smarter than him."
"I did no such thing! I merely said you're the smart one!"
"James…" said Remus.
"Oy."
"Sirius, just because you watched Fiddler on the Roof one too many times, doesn't mean you're actually Jewish," said James, exasperated. "And I realize what I said. Lae, dearest, you are so much smarter than me. But not as gorgeous." He whispered the last.
"Oh, you so didn't say that," Trisha accused.
"He so did," I contradicted her.
James gulped. "Sirius, you're the one with experience in upsetting girls. Am I in trouble?"
"Only if you want to see me ever again."
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James took me seriously, even though I was only yanking his chain. I ended up having to explain everything to him, but he got over it soon enough. The six of us rearranged our seats so that we could sit next to each other, and the seating ended up being boy girl, boy girl, boy girl. Remus and L.C. were in seats 7 and 8, Sirius and Trisha in 9 and 10, and James and I in 11 and 12.
The play was interesting, but not for me as a muggleborn. It was a Wizarding version of the play by Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. It was called Mab and Merlin. As in Queen Mab of the faeries, and Merlin of Arthurian legend. According to the version of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table that I had heard as a child, this was completely wrong.
Right after the intermission, James played the extremely old, extremely over used trick of the yawning arm placement. But to my surprise, I didn't shrug it off, like I had done with all other guys I had gone out with. It felt natural. It felt right.
The play ended with Mab and Merlin sealing themselves in a cave and allowing vines to grow over the entrance.
"Well, if that wasn't a rip off of Shakespeare, I don't know what is," I remarked after the curtain dropped.
"It was interesting, though." James answered.
"Girls, don't you think that we should be getting back? I've got to open tomorrow."
"Maeve," Trisha said, "you're not just a waitress anymore. You can tell anyone you want to open, and not get there until you want to. You're the owner. You've got the power."
"Duh. I guess I'm still just used to having to get there early and leave late."
"Drinks, anyone?" asked Sirius. "I know this great little place not too far away, called McKinnon's."
"No. No, Sirius. That's okay. We prefer the Leaky Cauldron," I said.
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," muttered Remus.
"Remus, methinks thee should partaketh in some action to relieve thy mind of its troubles."
"Sirius, don't quit your day job. It's all you've got going for you," remarked Trisha.
"Ouch. Crash and burn."
Once outside the theatre, we headed for the Leaky Cauldron. James grabbed my hand as we walked, and swung me towards him. "Feisty, Miss Evans," he whispered in my ear. "Feisty indeed."
"You know you like me this way."
He laughed. "You know what, you're right."
"Always, doll. Always."
We passed McKinnon's, and I saw one of the new girls, Anna, through the window. She looked like she was having some trouble with one of the customers. He was holding on to her wrist and not letting go when she demanded that he do so. They were beginning to attract a crowd, and I needed to go and break it up.
"Drew, hun, I forgot something at the theatre, and it's vital that I get it back. I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron."
I pulled out of his grasp and darted into McKinnon's.
"What's the problem here, Anna?" I asked, once I had broken through the crowd of onlookers.
She had tears running down her face and it was several moments before she could answer me.
"I brought him his drink, and when I turned to leave, he grabbed my wrist. Said I was going to stay with him and have a good time. But it's only my first night here, Miss Evans, and I don't want to get sacked. I can't afford to. You know that. So I tried to get away, and he wouldn't let go. When I called for help, the crowd formed but no one would help me. Not until you pushed your way through."
"I suggest you release her, Sir, before I have to make you."
"Missy, who gave you the right to boss me around? Ain't no one but the owner here gonna get me to let go o' this one."
"I am the owner here. You got a problem with that?"
"Yeah, I do. Women ain't supposed to do nuthin but sit round and look dandy."
He got up and towered over me. "Sir, your size doesn't intimidate me, so why don't you sit down."
"What'cha gonna do if I don't?"
Pulling my wand out of my sleeve, I shouted "Immobulous!"
He froze where he was. "Wingardium leviosa." I cast him out of the pub and into the street. Then I cast a spell on the doorway to never let him in again.
I pulled up my sleeve and looked at my watch as I stuffed my wand back. "I've got to go now. Anna, you can leave, and take the rest of the night off. You'll need time to recover. I assure you, most of our customers aren't that bad. As for y'all, you should be ashamed. Seeing what was going on and not taking care of the situation. I've half a mind to cast you out as well. Be lucky that I've somewhere to be."
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I made it down the block to the Leaky Cauldron in record time. When I slid into the booth, Trisha and L.C. raised their eyebrows at me. I shook my head at them, and asked if they had ordered yet.
"Yes, Maeve. I ordered you your favourite. A Shirley Temple," answered Trisha.
"I still can't believe they have those here. You expect to find them at a cocktail party, not in a pub."
Our drinks arrived. The guys had all ordered butterbeer, Trisha and L.C. had gotten them as well. I was the only one who was different.
"So," asked James, "what did you forget that was so vital?"
"Oh, just a girl thing. You wouldn't want to know."
"Actually, I am interested. You see, it's the weirdest thing. You said you were going back to the theatre, and yet I swear I saw you go into McKinnon's. Got an explanation for me?"
"Actually, no. Not that it's any of your business anyway. Is it vital that you know?"
"If I can trust you, then yeah."
"Ever been to McKinnon's before, Drew?" asked Trisha.
"We all have," he answered.
"Ever noticed how the girls there are treated?" I asked.
"Nope, not really. We go there to hang out."
"Next time you go, take a look. I used to work as a waitress there, and I still can't stand to see how the waitresses are treated. So when I saw how she was being treated, I couldn't help but go and stop it."
They seemed to accept this answer, and the subject was dropped. We didn't leave the Leaky Cauldron until around 2 am, and James walked me to my apartment in Muggle London. It was only a few blocks from the entrance to Diagon Alley, so it was a quick walk.
Outside the door to my apartment, I turned and faced James.
He lifted the hand that he had held when we were walking and brushed a kiss across the back.
"Drew, I don't even know you that well," I teased him.
"If I have my way, you'll get to know me a lot better."
"Goodnight, Drew."
I turned to put my key into the lock, but James stopped me.
"Lily…" he murmured, brushing the back of his hand across my cheek. Unconsciously, I leaned into it, and stiffened, realizing what I had done. He drew back as though slapped.
"Drew, I-I can't do this. I'm sorry. It's terribly wrong of me to try and act as though I know what's going on when in fact I don't have a clue. I wish I hadn't led you on like this, but-"
"No, Lily. Forget it. I shouldn't have believed th-" he broke off and walked away.
"James!" I called after him, but he didn't stop.
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Thanks to my reviewer, Mistocean! I'm so happy you like the story. Just for you this chapter is out so soon. Remember, read and review! It makes me write faster!
Mysticpixie