Harry Potter theme and related characters are property of J.K. Rowling. Plot idea is accredited to the original author, J.K.Rowling. Plot angle and revisions idea of Melissa Pomeroy. Character Verissa Station (name borrowed with permission from an aquaintence) property of Meisako Pyoko-Chan (Melissa Pomeroy), 2002. Any and all reviews appriaciated.
chapter FOURTEEN: There Will Always be a Morning-After
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No one quite knew how to react to the entire situation. Remus seemed to be in utter stupor with it all. His speech was like a four-leafed clover: a rare and lucky occasion to happen upon. He barely spoke the days that followed and his eyes were distantly hollow. Lily felt if she stared too long into his eyes, she was apt to lose her footing and fall forever into the deep wells of sadness that had recently taken residence on Remus' face. They were there ever since Verissa had decided that he and she were better off not dating- and apparent from Verissa's equal lack of speach- not speaking. The day after Christmas, Verissa had owled her parents and made arrangemnets to come home for the rest of the holiday; a family in Hogsmeade had agreed to let her use their fireplace for floo travel.
Knowing Remus' secret didn't phase Lily one bit. To her, it made everything fit. The pale faces, the hatred of the night, frequent visits to the Infirmiry, a need to tend to his "ill mother," and other excuses. It all sort of clicked, like a jiggsaw puzzle of sorts. The pieces just connected and the entire picture was loads easier for Lily to grasp. The only thing that Lily allowed for herself to change was her lack of sensitivity. She knew certain things pushed certain buttons, and now knowing why, she kept her mouth shut. Lily still was clueless on how Severus Snape was a part of Remus' illness, but she didn't want to press on with it. She knew what happened last time she nosed into where she shouldn't pry. She didn't want to strike a tender nerve.
Lily's heart strings were tangle and knotted into tight bunches and she had trouble thinking properly at first. She loved both Remus and Verissa dearly, and it pained her in the most horrid of ways to see them at odds with each other. Lily wasn't upset with Verissa for what she did, it seemed like the logical thing for a person to do- run- but she thought Verissa was different than everyone else. She thought Verissa had more compassion. Obviously she was wrong, but Lily was still disappointed. She didn't see how something so trivial as an "illness" could break two people apart- seeing how they seemed so wonderful together. She hated to be cliche`, but couldn't love conquer all?
Sirius was of a different opinion entirely. "C'mon, mate. Get over her. I told you it wouldn't work out properly! She's a fifth-year Ravenclaw! She's too young to understand! Maybe if she was our own age... but Moony- she's just... just not your type."
Remus always got in a furry huff and snappish at Sirius everytime he mentioned the "I told you so" story, saying how would Sirius know his type? and how could he criticize a girl Sirius revused to get to know? Conversation dropped cold from there on, like someone dropped slick ice cubes down the backs of everyone's shirt. It was more than talk that chilled, even. Each time Sirius opened his gapping gob to down on Verissa, Remus became more frigid and unsettling. It was like trying to talk to a rather large iced-Remus-pop. His frozen stare gave Lily the willie-gitters; she often squirmed beneath his gaze, like her knickers were riding up in the middle of church or something equally uncomfortable. At one point it seemed that Remus had frozen himself to a stiff wooden chair in the Common Room. He refused to leave. James eventually sat next to him and was equally silent. Remus, obviously feeling horrendous guilt, left the room, only because James said he wouldn't move until Remus did. After that Remus began to melt- almost like someone forgot to close the door to the ice box. In general Christmas holidays were far from the stereotypical fuzzy warm ones everyone else in the world seemed to be having.
Not much changed when the school began to fill with returning students, happy and rosy cheeked from fireside chats with families and hearty meals seasoned with love. It was was enough to make Lily jealous and her stomach revolt in envy. The only thing that seemed to shift was Remus. He forced himself to focus all of his time on studies and assignments, rather than a certain cherry-headed Ravenclaw.
Sitting in her Magi-Genetics class, Lily felt over-whelmingly uncomfortable, like she knew a very horrid bit of gossip about her best friend and was detirmined to let it fester inside rather than confront the friend or perpetrator. Throughout her fight with James, Lily had become friendly with Severus and yet James made it clear that she was not to associate with the Slytherin. As her wrist flexed and twisted while she jotted down various notes, the rythmic scritch scratch lulling her into a dull stupor of thought, she sat at the same polished desktop as Severus, although a seat remained between them.
"Miss Evans?"
Lily blinked and looked up at Professor Diov, whose maticulous hair-grooming, which framed her face, gave her the appearance of a Muggle-type doctor. "Yes?"
"Please read the second colomn on page 572 of your text book out loud for the class," said Professor Diov, settling down at her parchment flooded desk.
Lily groaned inwardly, hating to speak publically, but hating more to say "no" to a teacher. She stood, weighing the book equally on both hands. "Tut-tut"ing herself as she scanned the page for the spot, Lily began speaking. "Curse of the Founders is a magical disease of great power. The four founders of Hogwarts are known for their skills and magical ability. Their magic was so strong that they all four were able to control a 'super-power.' To keep this power in check after their deaths, each married a full-blooded wizard or witch. By descendent of these lineages, otherwise known as an 'Heir to the House,' the power would be unleased, should the full-blooded descendent conceive a child with a body of non-magical origin (muggle, Half-Muggle, Magical with both Muggle parents).
"The Ministry of Magic has tried to keep check on all Heirs. The Ravenclaw line has died out, and the current Heir of Hufflepuff has chosen to be sterilized-" A few boys laughed. "-rather than risk letting the power be unleashed. Salazar Slytherin, knowing the affect of the Curse of the Founders, fathered many children with multiple women. Fortunately, all women were full-blooded. All but one line has died out, the only remaining Heir has recently shown great skill and power. The Ministry of Magic lost track of the Gryffindor line when Annita Gryffindor had her name changed. The power said to be unleased by the Curse of the Founders is enough for the Heir to single-handedly rule the Earth. With such power one could use it for good or ill."
Lily exhaled and dropped promptly into her seat, to which the teacher stood and walked to the front of the class with a strange metallic clod of her unique silver boots.
"Thank you, Miss Evans. Tonight, for your homework, I would like you to write a six-inch paper- small handwriting this time, Mister Brians, no six inch letters- on what you speculate may happen should the Heirs of Slytherin and Gryffindor ever meet. I am looking for creativity and a basic concept of today's curse," she said softly, glancing down at her wrist watch. "You've got three minutes before class is over- if you're quiet, and walk slowly, I'll let you go early. Go on now- pack up and get." Professor Diov smiled, hands on hip in a very professional-type manner, and strode back to her desk to pack up her own papers.
Lily slipped a bit of parchment between the pages of her book to keep her place and tucked her things away into her rucksack. The back of her neck tingled, and there was an odd pressure between her shoulder blades. She turned her head sharply, her thick ponytail whipping over her shoulder. Severus was staring at her with thought, interest, and something cruel. Perhaps hatred or contempt, but still cruel.
"Are- are you alright, Severus?"
"Mmm. Peachy," he said in his usually deep nasal voice, though a little more raspy than usual.
"Your sarcasm's killing me. Really, though. You're looking at me like you've heard some really juicey gossip about me or something." He smiled. "Was that it? Gossip?" Lily hooked the clasps on her bag and turned to face him wholly. "Let's hear it, then."
"You're back with Potter?" He seemed genuinely interested in her life presently, but at the same time, as though he could care less.
Lily nodded. "Yeah, is that why you're staring like that?"
"I'm looking at you like this because I can see your future, Evans."
Lily smirked and folded her arms tightly across her chest, regarding his sallow complextion and stern countanence almost comically. "Future, eh? A divination expert, then?" she asked dryly.
"No." His face turned expressionless. "I just have common sense." He narrowed his eyes with knowledge and left the room.
Lily was puzzled, and she had no doubt that it showed clearly on her face, performing the exotic dance of confussion for the world to observe. Fumbling with the straps on her bag, Lily began to swill it all in her head. How could anyone possibly know the future? Even the future of someone else? Lily never believed in all that mumbo-jumbo about divination and fortune telling. A bunch of bull. What was he referring to? Her future with James? She had always assumed... but... How the heck would Severus know? Or maybe he wasn't talking about James at all? Something else?
There was an almost numb pressure on Lily's sjoulder and she jumped. "Oh, Professor! It's just you- you scared me!"
Professor Diov chuckled softly. "Just me, indeed." She raised an eyebrow. "The bell rang- why didn't you leave with the others?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking, is all. I'll leave."
The professor reached out a small hand and stopped Lily in her tracks. "You look troubled- want to talk?"
Lily smiled her thanks to the teacher, but shook her head. "Nah, I'm good." Lily slung her bag over her shoulder and dashed out. The corridor was an empty tunnel of paintings and tapestries, looming high over head, threatening to crash down and squash Lily beneath. The flagstoned floor swallowed her footsteps, and she felt as though she wasn't really there, but witnessing the world as a ghost might; a sort of detatched feeling flooding her head. She picked up the pace and stared at her feet as she ran, simply to make sure her feet actually hit the ground- to reassure her that she wouldn't fall over. All the while her brain relayed a message: Why had Severus been so creepy? What and odd thing to say. Why did he-
"Oof!"
Lily suddenly ran smack into something tenderly solid and went sailing to the floor, landing sharply on her wrist. "I'm sorry, I-"
A calloused hand, familiar and loving, reached for hers and helped her up. "Lils? Summat the matter?" James picked up her rucksack and slung it over his own shoulder.
"James!" She kissed his cheek gingerly. "Oh, I was just thinking. Se-nape said something that sort of made me a little uncomfortable, and- James, what?" Lily noticed his rough faced was pulled in at several places as he scowled disprovingly.
"You were talking to him?"
"Graciousness alive, James! I have a class with him, you know that. I don't see how this makes you so ornery and-"
"He's an ungrateful, pessimistic Slytherin who jumps to conclusions. So tell me what he said so I can beat the bloody crap outta him," James said calmly, though the sweet brown eyes behind his wirery glasses betrayed him.
"He only said that he could tell my future- odd, but nothing wrong with it. He said... he said it was common sense." She took his rough hand in hers and tugged him down the corridor. "C'mon, supper time. I'm starved."
"He said that?!" James exclaimed, turning to stare Lily square in the face with wide eyes.
"What?! Is that bad?" Lily felt her stomach flutter as she thought of all the horrid things it could mean that she was just too naiive didn't understand.
James winked. "Nope." He shrugged, eyes sparkling. "Snape's off his nutt. Multiple screws loose, if you ask me, which I'm sure you won't, but I told you anyway, so there."
Lily laughed and slugged him playfully in the arm. "James, you creep! You started me a second!" James only smiled, and with the speed that would qualify him to play as Seeker, planted a light kiss on Lily's face where her jaw met her earlobe. His cold nose pressed into her cheek, nudging his glasses askew and blurring the lenses.
"Let's get some dinner," he whispered in her ear. His warm breath left droplets of moisture on the fine hairs on the back of her neck. She giggled and ran her hand over his black-cotton draped shoulder. He kissed her earlobe.
"James, you sly puppy. You can't have desert first," she said as he backed her into the once intimidating wall.
"Just one more kiss?"
"Okay- just one. Right here." Lily placed a slim finger on her bottom lip and pouted mid-grin. James closed his eyes and leaned forward. As Lily closed her eyes and tilted her chin up, the sound of someone clearing her throat startled James and Lily both enough to make them jump.
"My, my, my... Public display of affection between two Gryffindors- Head Boy and Girl, no less? I would assume you two were just on your way to the Great Hall?"
James turned slightly and Lily could see a slightly annoyed (and slightly embarassed) Professor McGonegall over her boyfriend's shoulder.
"Of c-coruse, we were, Professor," James managed.
She nodded sternly. "Now go."
James grabbed Lily's hand and bolted down the corridor with Lily's hair flying out of its hair-tie and into a wild fury of red silk ribbons. Once around the corner, they laughed. They sneaked into the Great Hall, where long wooden tables sprouted from the ground like ancient tree stumps. Black-robed students sat on either side of the tables, the backs of their heads greeting Lily and James with a myriad of blonds, browns, reds, blacks, and the occasional blue-tint from rebels to the status quo. Profesor Dumbledore smiled at them as he gave the last of the evening's announcements, eyes twinkling with amusement.
"-will be retiring early, due to certain events and accidents caused by a few reckless students. So we'd like to welcome our new caretaker, Mr. Argus Filch, who will be joining us next month. I'd like to ask students to pick up after themselves in the mean-time or detentions will expland to include dusting, moping, and polishing." A few students groaned, but Dumbledore, looking regal in robes of robin-egg blue and his massive, whispy beard, seemed to not have noticed. "Next we have our Spring Social during the Easter holidays. We will have plenty of food, music, and the general dancing and merriment. All students are welcomed- dates are not required. The dress will be nice casual, so no need to rush out and buy dress robes. I must reitterated that-"
Lily glanced over and saw that Dyendrah was watching her with those serious honey-coloured eyes and a light-switch flipped on in her brain. Her mouth dropped over in rememberance, and Lily nodded quickly at Dyendrah. She had nearly forgotten that she had promised the Slytherin a date with Sirius... now only to get Sirius to comply...
"Eat up."
The room suddenly filled with aromatic smells of lucious foods of all varieties, and the empty plates filled to the buldging brim with subtance of an edible nature. Lily picked up her fork and twilled it between her thumb and forefinger. "Hey, Sirius?"
"Hmmn?"
"Have you, er- got a date for the Spring Social?"
James and Sirius both choked on their mouthfulls of foods. James wiped his mouth with a napkin before displaying his astonishment. "You want to go with Sirius to the Easter dance?"
"No. Golly, James, don't be so jumpy! I was asking for a friend, for your information," she said, turning a fine mist of red.
Sirius looked up sharply and smiled. "Who?"
"Surprise."
His face sagged with disappointment; then he smirked. "I see. She's ugly, isn't she?"
Lily tweaked her head deffensively. "You think a girl is only worth while if she's pretty? What about personality? Character?"
Peter nodded and shook a chip at Sirius. "Yep. She's a cow."
Lily threw her fork at Peter, mercifully missing his ear by mere centimeters. "She's not! She's very pretty, in fact. So pretty that I'm jealous," she admitted. "She's got sleak black hair and moonlit complextion and these incrediably intense eyes and-"
James laughed. "She's setting you up with Snape, mate!" His smile faded when he saw Lily's fierce, reprimanding glare, though his eyes twinkled like Dumbledore's might.
"Honestly! Anyways, Sirius, this gal did me a favor once and I promised to repay her- this is what she wanted! Please? Do this for me?" Lily reached over and took his hand, lightly squeezing it.
Sirius shrugged. "I guess it saves me the trouble of asking someone else and being rejected." Lily smiled her thanks and quickly looked up to wink at Dyendrah. Sirius turned around to see who she was looking at, but seemed to be eyeing the the Ravenclaw tables rather than Slytherin for her sly counter-part. After supper James headed out to the Quidditch pitch with Lily beside him, making mild conversation. Near the changing rooms were two Ravenclaws, chatting mildly, almost flirting. Lily recognized the chap as the Ravenclaw team captain- the girl's cherry-white hair spoke for herself. James cleared his throat, and the captain looked up.
"Er... Johnson? Can I speak to you in private?" The keeper looked at James and blushed.
"Sure, Potter."
The two boys walked away without so much as a "later" to the girls. Lily looked to Verissa, who didn't seem to want to make eye-contact. She stared down at her brown Mary-Janes, detirmined to snuff out an ant with then blunt tip.
"Vera- can we talk, too?"
Verissa shrugged her cherry-white hair off her shoulders and frowned, making herself look extremely unattractive. "Come to snap at me? Give me the "holier than thou" speach? Reprimand me? Chastize me? I won't stand for it, Lily. Not a bit."
"No-" Lily cooed, stepping closer. "I'm just wanting to talk. Friend to friend- or Gryffindor to Ravenclaw, if you'd rather?"
Verissa smiled weakly. "Friend to friend is fine. Uh- why don't we walk?"
Lily nodded, and they walked. It was silent save for the rhythmic clapping of their shoes against stone. "Vera? Can I ask you why?"
Verissa looked up at Lily through her lashes, avoiding direct eye-contact. "Why what? Why I was talking to Tim, or why I broke up with Remus?"
"Remus."
"I thought you weren't going to chastize me?"
Lily sighed and took Verissa's hand in hers. They walked through an open threshold and into a small courtyard, dimming with the last bit of sunlight. "I'm not doing anything but asking a question. I know it's your life and you can do whatever you please- but some of us are just a bit confused as to your motive."
Verissa looked at the grass, dry from a warm day with little rainfall in the past week. "It's hard to explain what went through my head, Lily. I don't think I could ever think of the words to describe it if I had a millenium. It was just a rush of thoughts and emotions- Merlin, the emotions! It hurt me so much... to do what I did..."
"It hurt Remus, too. It still hurts him, if you'd look and see how his head hangs and his eyes fade," said Lily softly, sitting on one of the marble benchs and tugging Verissa down to sit beside her. The courtyard was void of students and teachers, but full of life nonetheless. The trees stood tall, each competing with one another for the last bit of sun and the schrubs loomed well over the trimmed grass. Verissa sat and smooth out her robe across her lap.
"I know- heavens, I know." She covered her face with her fragile hands.
"Were you disgusted with him? Horrified that he was- is- what he is?" Lily pressed.
Veriss shook her head, shoulders trembling.
"Then what? I don't see how-"
"I was scared," Verissa whispered. "How would you feel if the man you loved turned to be something you never imagined? He lied to me- he said he was sick... said that his mother was sick, too... He eventually told me the truth- but wouldn't the truth have been better off up front?" She sobbed. "What if we got married? Would he leave me once a month and be ill for weeks on end? What if..." Her voice dropped even lower, a faint breath above silence. "What if he hurt me and I got infected, too? Away from Hogwarts there is no real safe place for him to go! Where he can be allowed to do whatever it is he does when he changes. What would happen if we had children?" Verissa looked up, eyes wide and blood-shot. "Would they be just like him? How could I raise children with... What kind of father could he be? Remus lost his childhood to his illness- does he even know how to deal with kids?" Verissa wiped her eyes, smearing some form of beauty concoction similar to mascara across her face. "My future shattered like glass and if I moved forward, I'd only cut my feet- I'm afraid of getting hurt, Lily. It makes my stomach drop out and I feel sick whenever I think about it." She sniffed and patted her nose with the blue hem of her sleeve.
Lily returned Verissa's weak smile and added a smirk. "You thought about children?"
Verissa blushed and smiled the best she could manage through her tears. "Yeah."
"You must have loved him a lot."
"Yeah... I- I still do."
Lily put her arm around the other. "Then I don't see a problem."
Verissa looked up, eyes squinting. "Didn't I just tell you what the problem was?"
"Vera- if you love him, then there isn't a problem. Remus is a great guy. He's always been wonderful and charming, hasn't he? James and Peter and Sirius have all found ways to still be friends with Remus, despite his condition. You're a special person to Remus, he'd want to find a way to work this out."
Verissa swallowed and wiped the last of tears. "But Lily- I've been a wicked person. He can't possibly want me back after how I hurt him."
Lily hugged Verissa rather unexpectantly. "Oh, but he does. Trust me. He loves you."
Verissa stood and nodded at Lily. "Thanks. You're going to make James a very nice wife one of these days." She tucked some hair behind her ear, pivoted in the grass, and hurried back into the castle.
Lily sat alone in the rosy dusk of a perfect evening. She blushed until it felt like a sunburn and covered her face with both hands. 'What made Vera say that?' she thought. She had never really dewllt on the thought of marrying James. She knew she loved him, and that she was going to spend the rest of her life with him, but she had never really thought about a tangible wedding. Looking at her slender hands, Lily amused herself by imagining how elegant a ring would make her fingers look. Smiling to herself, Lily decided that she was going to ask him to marry her on the last day of school. Sort of a 'congradulations' gift. She looked up at the sky and saw stars begin to speck the heavens timidly. Surely Mr. and Mrs. Potter were up there, sadly watching their only child excell trhough his school work and at sports and such. She knew they were proud of him. She was. But she had to wonder... would she have their blessing?
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I got so many emails saying how wicked Verissa was that I had to do something about it! My friend (from whom I borrowed the named Verissa) thought I was giving her a bad name! ;-)
S.C. Hardy: LOL! Yep, women certainly DO become monsters once a month... my sister more than usual. *shudders* It's best not to even TALK to her on those days. It's okay- your "Remmy" will be taken care of!
SlyCat: Of course the plot thickens! They're still in school- I've got all the way up until they die to thicken the plot- so you may have to wait a bit. :-)
everblue3: Thanks! It's always nice to get a little compliment once and a while froma reader- lets you know you're appreciated. I know I took forever getting this last chapter up, but not as long as it took the OTHER chapter! Yikes! Well, seeing as school's out and all of my computer-less studying has payed off (go 4.0!!), I may have time to update more often!
tta: LOL! From your many "gr"s, I'm assuming you're kinda into this fic, neh? Well, that thing you thought was going to happen- it will. Just wait. (I mean, like the NEXT chapter waiting type deal. ^.^) SOrry it took so long!
Lilyflower: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter, too!
Laura/Susie/Ninnykins/Ginny: You'd BETTER not find anything wrong with this one! LOL! I read through it TWICE! Enjoy!
Clearbrook: Verissa had to act that way because it doesn't mention Remus ever getting married or whatever in the books, so I can't let their relationship get too far, can it? Otherwise it's un-canon! But I got so many angry comments about her that I HAD to do something. Now I'm kinda in a hole I can't get out of.
marzoog: I hope you're happy to learn that I updated again! I should be updating more often, b/c of summer and all. :-) I haven't read your fic yet, but I plan to in the morning! It's rather late right now...
Prongs: *sheepish* Sorry! I TRIED to update- but with school and finals and jazz... But hey! I was able to make it a lot nicer than how it was originally b/c I waited!
I have an E-Mail:
Slytherin_Angel@MostlySunny.com Please email me! :) I'd like that. My AIM is IAMAHufflepuff. Ring me up sometime and I'll keep you updated!