I DON'T OWN IT YOU DON'T SUE ME
Chapter Twenty-One: Of Flowers with Thorns and WolfBoys with Depression
It at lunch that very afternoon, while the Marauders and the returned kidnapped students were recuperating in the Hospital Wing, that Dumbledore did the one thing that he had sworn to never do.
"Attention," he said quietly. And he got it. Holding up a small multi-faceted black crystal with one hand and pointing his wand at it with the other, Dumbledore began to speak clearly in a mesmerizing tone. "Your fellow students that you have not seen all year, Oliver Holmes, Carolina Richardson, Mundungus Fletcher, Padma McMillan, Mauricia Klein, Olivia Beckman, Louis Steinbeck, Alexandra Graham, Patty Franklin, English Cook, and Jamie Stuart, have been sick all year with a horrible case of Wizard's Flu and in quarantine all year because it is incurable. Any other rumors that you might have heard are false, and anyone who says something that goes against what I have just told you is wrong." The students eyes were all glued to the crystal, and none could look away, even if they tried. Dumbledore then snapped his wand away, breaking the fine translucent thread of magic that he had been feeding into his Magical Aide. The noise resumed instantly, and no one could really remember what had just happened excepting the professors.
Dumbledore slumped forward in his chair rubbing his temples, eyes closed. McGonagall leaned over and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"It was the only thing you could do, Albus," she said quietly. "We had to maintain the illusion that the school was safe. It is better this way."
"I know, Minerva," Dumbledore replied, not looking at her. "I just…I wish…ah well. C'est la vie. Could you pass the lamb?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily awoke to the sound of hushed voices to her left. Not wanting to be awake she groaned at the sunlight seeing through her closed eyelids and rolled onto her other side.
"You wake 'er up."
"No, you."
"Potter, wake up your girlfriend."
"Sirius I swear…"
"Fine, I'll do it." Lily felt herself being poked in the shoulder. She snuggled deeper into the pillow and was poked harder for her pains.
"I'll give whoever's poking me three seconds to move away or I'll be forced to kill you." Lily heard hastily retreating footsteps and a muffled conference.
"She didn't wake up."
"I, for one, say that we let sleeping dragons lie."
"I heard that," Lily grumbled sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes. Blinking repetitively in the bright sunlight streaming through the dusty windows, Lily focused in on the group of boys huddled near the foot of her bed.
"Well that worked," said Sirius cheerfully. "I'll have to remember that insulting is the best way to get Lily awake."
"Shattup," Lily said, throwing a pillow at him. Catching it expertly, Sirius tutted and wagged his finger.
"Now Lilikins, you know that throwing projectiles is against school rules," he reprimanded.
"It's not a projectile, it's a pillow. Siri, shattup before I work up the energy to throw something heavier at you." Sirius shut up.
"Temper, temper, Lils. You really are a dragon in the morning," said a voice coming from behind Remus. They all jumped and whirled around. Lily leapt out of the Hospital bed and flung her arms around Carolina.
"You're alive, you're alive, you're alive, you're alive!" she squealed ecstatically.
"Stop it you oaf," Carolina sniffed, pushing Lily back, "you're squeezing the tears out…" The guys all averted their gaze awkwardly as the girls just stared at each other happily.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked quietly. "D'you wanna tell me what went on down there?" Carolina nodded, swallowing hard.
"Well, I don't even really remember how I got captured," she began quietly. Peter, Remus, Sirius, and James all drifted back towards the bed, seating themselves around or on it. "All I remember is walking back to the Common Room after I had to go ask Professor Flitwick something about charms and I saw this shadow move, and then I woke up chained to a wall."
"Wouldn't your arms hurt being locked up like that?" wondered James.
"Well, we were all unconscious half the time except when they forced food with a sleeping draft down our throats. Dunno why they bothered with a guard…we couldn't have fought them after all that…there was something…" she drifted off, apparently thinking hard.
"There was something…?" Lily prompted expectantly, leaning forward. Carolina snapped back to attention.
"Oh, nothing. It was nothing." Although this in no way convinced Lily that there was nothing wrong, she knew Carolina well enough that prodding and prying would only clam her up more. "Anyways I can only remember blurs. Like Metus coming down once or twice and gloating…but there was this once…" she shuddered. "There was this once that someone else came. He was really tall and pale and…well…he was creepy. He walked around and looked at everyone of us, talking to us, like."
"What'd he say to you?" demanded Sirius.
"He-he said, 'We could use you, little one. Pity we need you for bait…but things may work out yet'. And then he touched my face and his hand was all cold and sleek…it kind of felt like scales…and then he kept going every time he stopped and looked at the person." James looked horrified, Sirius was indignant, and Remus was deep in thought. Peter was just plain terrified "And Lils …he- Lily, I'm sorry, but, he killed English." She said motioning towards the still form in the bed nearby. Lily choked back a dry sob. "Carolina," he said quietly, "about when did the tall person come?"
"Erm…my time might be a little skewed, but around three months ago, I guess…why?"
"Because I think that that man was Voldemort," Remus replied gravely. Lily's green eyes widened to their fullest and Peter's face paled to sheet white.
"How-how-why d'you think that?" Carolina's hands were tangling themselves in the bed-sheets.
"Well, there was this one transformation a few months ago when I smelled something odd. It was blood, and it was fresh, like it had been there only a few minutes ago, though I could have sworn I hadn't seen anybody in the passage near the- well, I didn't see anyone in the passage. But it wasn't normal blood, it had this weird, sort of metallic, cold scent and it was all evil feeling. I can't really explain it, but that was one of the worst changes ever…"
"Oh my god," Lily breathed. "Did you tell Dumbledore?"
"Well, no," Remus admitted guiltily. "I-I didn't think it was that important. If I'd only realized…" He breathed deeply and grimaced into his hands. Lily got up and patted his shoulder.
"Remus, you didn't know…it wasn't your fault," she consoled quietly.
Remus shoved her arm away and stared into space. "If I had just told him then maybe English would still be alive…I should have told him…I'm so stupid…"
"Don't blame yourself," stated Peter fiercely.
"Yeah. It wasn't your fault. Even if you had told him he couldn't have stopped it," James commented.
"If I had told him my suspicions about Metus earlier this wouldn't have happened," supplied Lily quietly.
"Look, it's no ones fault!" Sirius said loudly. "It's no one's fault," he repeated, more quietly, "except Voldemort's. So stop being so self-sacrificing and get over it."
"You have to tell me EVERYTHING that happened while I was gone! A girl can miss a lot in a couple months or whatever!"
"We beat Slytherin and Ravenclaw in Quidditch…"
"Sirius cussed off McGonagall…"
"James is in looooooooooooove…"
"Potter got an Invisibility Cloak…"
"We're becoming illegal Animagi…"
"Peter, shut up!"
"You ARE?" Carolina squealed. "THAT IS SO AMAZING!" At this joyous proclamation, several students stirred and Madame Pompfrey stuck her head out of her office. James smacked Carolina's arm and gave her a warning glance. She nodded and settled back into her pillow. She studied each of her friends carefully.
Lily was as pretty as ever and seemed stronger, more resolved somehow.
James still had the unruly hair and smirking grin that made you want to slap him.
Peter seemed even more roly-poly than usual, his flyaway blonde hair askew.
Remus was flinching quietly.
And Sirius was looking back at her. She grinned at him and he smiled back crookedly, looking deeply into her azure eyes.
"What're you doing awake? Ms. Richardson you should be resting! After what you've been through…drink this," the bustling witch ordered, thrusting a thick purple potion into Carolina's hands.
"Really Madam Pompfrey, I've been sleeping a lot so if you would just-"
"Drink it."
"Yes ma'am."
"And you," she rounded on the others. "You need to either get back into your beds or go away. Immediately." They all rushed towards the door, but before they could leave large chunks of chocolate were thrust into their hands. "Eat it all and don't come back to see me for at least a month. I'm sick of seeing the lot of you in the Hospital Wing."
Back in the boys dormitories Lily grabbed a pillow off of a bed and propped herself up against the window, gazing out onto the grounds. The boys remained standing, and Remus hovered nervously near the door. When the silence grew so unbearable that they could each hear their heart beating, Remus opened the door and slid out. Lily sighed and pushed herself up from the seat but James shook his head.
"I'll get him." He trailed Remus out of the castle, around the Whomping Willow, and up a small cliff beside the lake. When Remus had settled on the edge, legs dangling over a twenty foot drop, he spoke wearily without turning around.
"James, you can come out and sit down if you like."
"How did you-" James began, sitting next to his friend.
"The Wolf-Senses stick around for a good few days after the full-moon. Sometimes it's the sense of smell, sometimes it's the hearing, mostly it's the fleas," Remus explained gloomily, scratching furiously behind his left ear. James bit his lip. Now was not the time to laugh. "James, just go ahead and say it," Remus said wearily.
"Say what?" James asked, all innocence.
"Oh come on James. We all know you're crap at lying." James blushed a bit. "You're here to tell me that I shouldn't feel bad about English. That it's not my fault and I shouldn't think about it. Well it is and I am." James opened his mouth to reply, but Remus ploughed on. "A life James, a human life. That's what was taken, and that's what I could have saved. A fifteen year old girl will never get to laugh again, to breathe again, to eat, to sleep, to work, to cry. Because of me. The only reason I can stand that one night of terror every month because for the other days of the year, I can live. I can be with my fam-" Remus choked on his last work and rephrased it. "I can be with my friends. It's my fault. If I had just-"
"Exactly, Remus. If I had just. There is an 'if I had just' for every decision anyone makes. Ever. If we had just been one minute later to get to Lily, we might have lost her. If you had just been a little luckier when you were little, we wouldn't be having this conversation. If my parents had just not met, I wouldn't be here. Remus, what's happened has happened. Move on."
"Jesus." Remus and James whirled around to glare at a moving batch of shrubbery.
"Sirius you idiot," Peter said, slapping him in the head as they appeared from the bushes.
"You are the two oldest twelve year olds I know," Sirius commented, ignoring Peter.
"Did you hear them following us?" James questioned quietly.
"No idea," Remus replied. The four sat in amiable silence, enjoying one another's company, all lost in thought. As the sun slowly sank behind the castle, illuminating it's magnificence, Remus (always the sensible one) shook himself out of his reverie.
"We should get going," he said quietly. The others nodded and they walked silently up to their dorm.
"You know," Sirius said after they had all changed into boxers and flopped on their beds, "we should really have a welcome back prank for Lina."
"That's what I was thinking!" cried James and Remus simultaneously.
"We never did manage to turn their (meaning the Slytherins o'course) Common Room upside down," Peter mused.
"We could make it so that all the food they eat turns to liver and anchovies when they put it in their mouth," James said, flicking through An Aide for Mad Magical Pranksters that his uncle had slipped him during Christmas.
"Give them all afros," Remus supplied. James and Sirius raised their eyebrows.
"Puffy hair-do's that stick out a mile," Peter added, snorting at the idea of Malfoy with the large 'do. They all snickered when trying to imagine Snape or the bulky Lestrange and Rosier (surly fifth years in need of attitude adjustments) with such hair.
"What if we made every single House, excepting Gryffindor obviously, fall in love with the professors?" Lily suggested lazily.
"Personally, I would love to see all the Slytherins spouting poetry every time they tried to talk," Carolina proposed. The boys whipped around to see them smirking by the open door. Lily swung it shut as they entered further.
"Observant aren't you?" she asked, grinning. Turning serious (SIRIUS) she said, "If anyone asked my opinion-"
"Which they haven't," James muttered. Lily quelled him with a look.
"If anyone who mattered asked my opinion, I'd say that we shouldn't waste all these at once, you know? Spread them out, like."
"Yeah," said Sirius, cottoning on. "We should to the Common Room tomorrow, poetry and love potions on Valentines Day, and afros in…um…"
"March, Sirius. The next month would be March," Remus aided.
"Right, March."
"Perfect," Lily said. "Hey Potter, can I have a look at that book?"
"No way!" he cried, clutching it tightly. "You'd be a danger to your self and others. Well, I care more about the others than the you part but…"
"Look, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way," Lily said, tapping her foot impatiently. At this James just turned around further. "Fine then. Accio Book."
The book flew to her and Lily scampered from the room, slamming the door tightly behind her, thinking briefly "Wow. All that library time paid off" before speeding down the hall and slamming the door to her room behind her, looking for somewhere to hide. James rocketed into the door seconds behind her, yelling.
"EVANS YOU'D BETTER GI VE THAT BACK OR-" but Lily never found out the consequences because she had slipped down the trap door under the window seat. Five minutes later, James was still shouting at the door.
"GIVE IT BACK!"
"Lets see," said a calm voice. "Page one. How to turn one's enemies into a vegetable…" Lily whipped out her wand and pointed it at James. "Potato Mog-" James had dodged across the hall and placed a large hand over her mouth. Lily held the book over her head obstinately. James had to step closer to retrieve it, but when he grabbed it, for some inexplicable reason, he didn't back up.
"If
I let go, will you turn me into a vegetable?" he asked quietly. Big green eyes
looked up at him as Lily shook her head no. "Promise?"
The emerald eyes stayed locked on his as she nodded. James let go and stepped
back. Lily could feel her heart pounding out double time in her chest. She bit
her lip anxiously. James, unfortunately, couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"You couldna
done that, turned me to a vegetable. That's in the experienced section." Lily's
eyes flashed. Concentrating on what McGonagall had said two days prior, she
found her center, and when she felt balanced, her eyes snapped open and she
performed a complex figure eight with her wand.
"Potato Mogriforous!" Her voice was barely a whisper, but suddenly, in James place was a potato. "Oh my God." She breathed, squatting down next to the potato. "James?" she asked quietly. Scooping him up, she walked briskly back into the boys dorm where Peter was dealing out a hand of poker.
"Lily, what's with the potato?" he questioned.
"Uh, guys? I kinda turned Potter into a potato."
"Ha, funny Lils. Siriusly, where is he?" Sirius asked, glancing at his cards furtively.
"Guys, it's James! I'm the potato!" a voice squeaked out from the vegetable. Lily jumped and dropped him to the floor.
"Oh, James! I'm so sorry!" she said quietly.
"Lily, stop with the ventriloquism. Where's James?"
"I TOLD YOU! HE'S THE POTATO!" she yelled.
"Jeez. No need to get angry my dear flower," Sirius said, shoving ships into the pile. "All right potato. If you're my best friend, then what's my middle name?"
"SIRIUS RANDOLPH BLACK, IF YOU DON'T GET ME OUT OF HERE I'LL…I'LL…I'LL GET LILY TO KILL YOU!" An outraged voice squeaked. Sirius grimaced.
"Okay Lily, how d'you change 'im back?"
"Um…" she flipped through the book, muttering, "counter curses, counter curses…Ah Ha! Counter Curses! Um…one of us has to bite the potato. But don't swallow it. Him. It. Whatever. Sirius?" Lily held out James the potato.
"Me? Eat my bestest friend? Yeah right."
"Remus?" Lily said, turning to him.
"Make Peter do it."
"Peter?"
"Make Carolina do it."
"Lina?"
"Me? Eat James? Surely you jest." Lily sighed.
"Look, somebody's gotta do it."
"Why don't you do it? You're the one who-" Sirius choked as Lily shoved James the potato into his mouth. Spluttering furiously, spat out his best friend into his hand. suddenly, the two halves floated into the air and slammed together, whirling around and elongating. Growing a floppy mess of black hair, limbs, etcetera in fast forward (while still spinning). After a minute of this, a dizzy James stumbled and collapsed onto the nearest bed. Shoving himself up immediately, he seized the book back from Lily.
"I told you you were dangerous," he snarled gently.
"Let this be a lesson, Potter," she said sneering happily. "This lily has thorns."
A/N ITS SUMMER ITS SUMMER ITS SUMMER!!!!!!! NO MORE SCHOOL NO MORE SCHOOL NO MORE SCHOOL!!!!! THANK YOU GOD! *clears throat* Right, down to business…This might be that last chance I have to update for two weeks because I am going to Costa Rica for two weeks in four days, but will update ASAP. Reviews~ Braney- I am very very very very very sorry about that. I take full responsibility for any emotional or psychological damage. Remember, your pain is my pain. We do share a brain after all. Although I'm sure you would never do something like update the same chappie twice *whacks herself on the head repeatedly…stupid…stupid…stupid…* I LOVE The Story of James Potter! I just read it all and it ROX! You obviously have superior taste in fanfiction stories. Oh, you're still getting your cameo…don't worry about that! rj- sorry 'bout that! enelya- Wow. I'm so glad you like my story do much! You rock as a reviewer! We have lots of book choices in common. I LOVE ARTEMIS FOWL! Foaly is my total favorite, but I really love Artemis and Holly too. The end of the Third book is sad, but he's doing either seven books or nine books (can't remember which). By the time I'm one hundred, hopefully I'll have finished already, but (this is a secret but whatever) after Lily and James cease to exist I'm going to keep writing about what happens to Siri, Remie, Petey (fudging bastard), and Lina. I've got a master plan all worked out! Iza- HOW MANY TIMES CAN I SAY I'M SORRY? Sorry, it's just everyone's been saying that and I kinda snapped. *deep breath* Thanks for reviewing, though. Shamock- THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!I luv you! you rock! You aren't mad! Everyone else commented on it but you were nice! WOOHOO! I officially have a new best friend! Elfmoon87- coolio dude!
KEEP READIN AND KEEP REVEIWIN!
