Chapter 8: Clichéd Cuteness (Read: Reconciliation?)
Halloween swiftly approached and the professors felt themselves being caught up in the festive spirit that so many of the students were exhibiting. Girls could be seen in large groups, huddled together over Witch Weekly's fashion section in the corridors. Hagrid dragged giant pumpkins into the castle, presumably for the house-elves to make pumpkin-related delicacies with. Peeves was more rambunctious than ever, taking whatever opportunities he could to wreak havoc among the students—slamming doors in people's faces, dropping water-filled containers on them. He even got hold of some nasty concoctions from the Potions dungeons and pelted students with it—taking especial care to hit the prefects as often as possible—which resulted in Madam Pomfrey being worked off her feet in the hospital wing. Peeves's troublemaking was an immense joy to the Potters, as it provided an excellent cover-up for their plans for Snape.
A little over a week before the 31st, Dumbledore called another brief meeting of the Order. Afterwards, Sirius, Remus, and Peter stayed to visit with James and Lily. The five of them were sitting before the fire in the couple's lounge, discussing James and Lily's Halloween plans. The three Marauders tried all manner of tactics to force James or Lily to tell them the details, but to no avail.
"You'll just have to wait and see," laughed James, after what must have been the twentieth failed attempt. He was sitting on a loveseat with Lily, an arm draped casually over the back, fingers barely brushing her shoulder. The three Marauders had exchanged excited, amused glances when James had pulled the old "yawn-and-stretch" trick to get his arm back there—then they nearly whooped aloud when Lily visibly blushed as James's hand touched her shoulder, and casually moved a little closer. Luckily, neither James nor Lily had noticed the others' reactions to their little flirtation, remaining happily oblivious to the gleeful looks the three men were exchanging. It seemed that things had been progressing nicely in the Potters' relationship since the last time the group had been together.
"How are we supposed to 'wait and see,'" grumbled Sirius, throwing himself onto a sofa. "We don't get to stick around Hogwarts all the time like you two." He propped his feet up on one arm of the long chair, folding his arms behind his head.
"So come that night," suggested James easily.
"Yes, you could hide under James's invisibility cloak," Lily added, as James nodded ecstatically. "Don't know if you'd all fit, but I'm sure you could manage something."
"We might be able to," Remus began, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Lily reached forward and plucked a silver strand from Remus's light brown shock of hair, throwing it into the fire. She smiled gently at him, and he returned the look. James watched the two of them without a single trace of jealousy on his face—in fact, he smiled on them as well. Lily and Remus had always shared a special relationship—probably because Lily had found out his secret at the end of their first year (which was even sooner than the other Marauders had, as they'd discovered it in their second year). She'd kept it for him faithfully, bringing him food and assignments when he was indisposed in the hospital wing. Remus's serious, gentle nature and his practical good advice were things that Lily prized in a friend, and the two had been somewhat close since the very beginning of their Hogwarts careers, each playing the part of the loving sibling the other had never had. Remus had actually helped Lily and James in working out small tiffs in their relationship, back in Hogwarts years, before he'd decided that being a middleman was too dangerous a position to take, sometimes.
"Yeah, we can," said Sirius confidently, after a split-second of thought. "If it comes down to it, Wormtail here could always turn into a rat, and one of us could carry him in a pocket."
"I won't be stuffed into someone's pocket!" exclaimed Peter indignantly. "I know what you keep in yours, and I'm not going in!" He shuddered emphatically, and Lily began to laugh while James quirked an eyebrow at his best friend.
"What've you been keeping in there, mate?" asked James, curiously.
"Oh, nothing much," Sirius replied airily. "Want to see?" He began emptying his pockets onto the floor. There were old chocolate frogs, trick wands, loose change, wads of unidentifiable matter, dirty kerchiefs, dirty articles of clothing, old fizzing whizzbees, a few stray gobstones, very suspicious-looking Bertie Botts beans, multicolored condoms...a lot of multicolored condoms...
"All right, stop now," Lily groaned, covering her eyes. "Those things look like they're going to come alive any moment now...and Merlin! I'm getting disturbing mental images."
Sirius chuckled evilly, though he began repacking his pockets as directed. "What, Prongs doesn't use these? Must think these Muggle contraptions are uncomfortable, hm? Yes, I believe the magical way is better, too, actually, but when you frequent muggle nightclubs, meet muggle girls, you don't really have much choice..."
By now Lily had her ears covered and was humming loudly. James was blushing a bit. "Shut it, Padfoot. Nobody wants to hear it."
Sirius sniggered, and finished stuffing everything back into his pocket, tossing his head a little to get the hair out of his eyes as he settled back onto the sofa. He'd been growing out his hair lately, and it now reached a little past chin length. Most of it he kept tied back in a neat ponytail, but his lengthening bangs tended to slip out after a windy motorbike ride or two. Both Lily and James had tried to talk him into cutting his hair, but Sirius continually refused to listen.
"It seems to attract more women," Remus had confided knowledgeably, when Lily had thrown her hands up in despair. "Not that he needs it...they crawl all over him anyway. But I think it's something about the long-dark-haired biker image that draws even more of them to him like flies to honey."
"He's even considering getting a tattoo," supplemented Peter, smirking. "He thinks it would add to his desirability or something."
"A tattoo? What of?" questioned James with raised eyebrows.
"Some fancy heart design with 'Adhara' scripted across it," Peter answered. "Figures he'd name his motorcycle after a star. Sirius, Adhara. He's probably going to name his children Canopus and Vega. I still don't understand why he wants to tattoo its name onto his body, though. What if you get a new motorcycle? Then what, you change its name?"
"'It,'" said Sirius, with a withering look, "is a 'she.'"
"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Peter, rolling his eyes. "Whatever."
"Besides," Sirius said, smirking in his signature wicked way. "All women love Adhara." He paused, lost in thought. "There's just something about a monstrous bike that women can't resist. And then, of course, there's me."
Lily snorted after giving Sirius a speculative once-over. "I'll take the bike, thanks."
The other three men laughed as Sirius sent a glare Lily's way and pointed his wand at her. "Just because you're my best friend's girl doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, Evans. Be afraid." He paused, taking the time to look her up and down. A dangerous smile curved his lips. "Actually, how about you leave Prongs and take a little ride with me? You don't need him...what has Prongs got that I haven't? You could have both me and the bike. C'mon, Lily," Sirius leaned toward her, winking suggestively, his dark eyes sparkling as he growled. "I can show you the ride of your life."
Lily burst into loud peals of laughter as James leapt up, pulling Sirius into a headlock and ruffling his hair out of its ponytail. The resulting scuffle (somehow Remus and Peter got dragged in as well) landed the four men on the floor as Lily sat laughing on the sofa, tears of mirth rolling down her cheeks. The rest of the evening went along in much the same way, and the five of them relived some happy memories from their Hogwarts years late into the night.
That weekend, Hagrid happened to glance out his cottage window near sunset to see two figures slipping out the doors of the castle. Curious, he peeked from behind the curtains to see who it was, and a huge grin spread across his face when he caught sight of the gleaming scarlet hair on the woman's back, the unruly black about the man's head, and, most importantly, the clasped hands joining the two of them together. Fang barked excitedly, seeming to sense the presence of two of his favourite visitors. Hagrid turned to him, dropping the curtains to cover the windows, and put a stubby finger to his lips.
"Shhhhh," he said, nodding at Fang wisely. "Don' disturb 'em." The great boarhound lowered his head, looking up at Hagrid questioningly.
"Didn't I tell yeh they'd work things out?" he asked, rubbing a hand through his beard. "'T was jus' a matter'v time."
James and Lily were taking a quiet walk around the lake. The past few weeks had been almost surreal. They seemed to have begun their relationship all over again; the initial awkwardness was gone now, and an easy sense of comfort had taken its place. They were like old friends, though they each still felt a thrill in the other's presence.
They watched as the giant squid lazily swayed its tentacles in the air, and the sun cast a path of brilliant ripples along the surface of the lake. The autumn sky was beautiful; for once, there were very few clouds, and the smoothness of the sky set off the vibrancy of the burning sunset.
Lily eased out of the pleasant silence halfway around the lake. "These past few weeks have been lovely." She spoke quietly, and James awakened slowly from his thoughts.
"Yes," he said simply, twining their fingers together.
They watched the sun sink the rest of the way behind the trees and the mountains, and continued to walk in the gathering dusk.
"I don't suppose this could be a lasting thing, could it?" James finally asked, softly. The two of them had stopped, having made a complete circle around the lake. The sky was darkening, and the first few stars were shimmering faintly against the dim blue background.
"I know we've been having problems in the past year or so," James said, gazing down at his wife. "But I'd like to think that they only had to do with our having too little patience with each other, or taking things for granted between us. I know I haven't been the best husband"—He grimaced—"more like a stupid git, you were right all those times—but—" He sighed; a look of tender longing was unmistakably etched across his features as he regarded her. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I love you...." His hand came up to cup Lily's face, caressing her cheek. "I don't care how hard it will be after we have to leave Hogwarts and go back home. I won't let our marriage fall apart over the trivial things. Especially not now."
Lily's eyes slid closed, and her hand came up to hold James's against her face. She exhaled slowly, not saying a word, just holding James's hands. "Neither will I," she murmured, barely audible.
The two of them stood like that for a long time, unmoving, as the sky became completely dark overhead.
"Let's go in," James said at last. "It's suppertime."
The two of them made their way slowly back to the castle, holding hands. They paused in the entrance hall, reluctantly letting go. This time, Lily turned her back to James, standing patiently still with a ribbon held ready in her hand. With nimble fingers, James plaited her hair simply and tied it with the ribbon, as though he'd been doing the same thing all his life. Smiling, the two headed into the Great Hall, and went to their seats. Aside from a few of the other professors, no one noticed them coming in together, or the looks they shared over the table.
That evening, the two of them sat at a table grading essays together, as had become their habit of late. The room was peaceful, the occasional scratching of quills on parchment and crackle of the fire the only apparent sounds. Suddenly there came a tap at the window.
Throwing James a mystified glance, Lily turned toward the window and realized that beyond the glass fluttered the snowy form of her owl. James jumped up and ran to the window, letting the creature in. The owl bore a folded piece of parchment, which she dropped into Lily's lap with a loving hoot before taking off for the castle owlery.
"What is it?" James asked.
"Let me see," Lily responded, unfolding it carefully as James returned to his seat. Her eyes skimmed the lines of writing, widening at first, then crinkling. Picking up her quill, she dashed off a note on the same piece of parchment, then tucked it in her robes. She looked up and found James's gaze trained upon her face, and laughed lightly.
"I'm sending my response to this tomorrow," was all she said. She stacked the essays she'd been grading, yawned, and stretched. "I think I'll go to bed, now. Goodnight, James." And without another look in his direction, she turned and went to her own room.
James sat dumbfounded for a few minutes more before he shook his head and began putting his own things away. Feeling suddenly very exhausted, he stumbled up the stairs to his own room and barely had time to remove his glasses before he fell into his bed in a deep dreamless sleep.
The next morning, James was awakened by a persistent pinching pain in his left earlobe. Grabbing his glasses and his wand, he clapped a hand over the smarting area with the full intent of hexing whatever it was that was causing him pain to oblivion. He stopped mid-swish when he realized that it was Lily's owl nipping at his ear. She bore a familiar piece of parchment—the letter Lily had received the previous night. A grin spreading across his face, he grabbed the parchment, while giving the owl a rueful glance as if to say, "You didn't have to nip quite so hard." The owl hooted laughingly and took off through the open window. He turned back to his letter, unfolding it rapidly. His eyes went immediately to the bottom of the parchment, and then he chuckled aloud.
The letter read as follows:
Professor Evans—or, shall we say, Professor Potter—
I must admit that I've been admiring you for quite some time now, composing sonnets to your beautiful green eyes or your glorious red hair like a lovesick fool. I suppose that's what I am: a lovesick fool. As of late, I've begun to have the vague suspicion that you might possibly reciprocate my feelings, which, incidentally, could hardly be contained a day longer. I was, therefore, wondering whether you would by any chance be willing to do me the honor of accompanying me to this year's Halloween festivities. I await your answer anxiously.
Your secret admirer for—shall we say—years,
Professor Potter
P.S.- Don't try telling me you're not going; all the professors are required to go!
At the very bottom of the parchment underneath the postscript, in Lily's delicate handwriting, there was only one line:
Brush up your dancing skills, Potter—if you step on my toes, I will kill you.Notes:
More fluffiness. :) Awwn, I can't get away from it.
To you wonderfulwonderful reviewers—
kellie – I never really know what to write for reviews, either. It usually takes me a while to come up with something beyond "I love your story, keep going!" so I know what you mean. I really appreciate your leaving me a note, though! Thanks so much for the positive feedback—it wasn't a boring review, and thaaaanks for putting this on your favorites list!!! :D :D :D
rosezgarden – Long review! Full of positive comments! You're awesome! ;D I'm glad you're liking the way Lily and James are getting along now—I'm all for them getting along, myself. ;) Actually, as I think I said before, I once had a soft spot in my heart for love-hate L/J stories, but nowadays I just like seeing them get along in stories full of sap and fluff. :D I like grinning like an idiot and going "Awwwnnnnnn..." I can't wait till Lily tells James she's pregnant either. Then again, at this point Harry hasn't been conceived yet, so we'll just have to wait a bit for the whole process ;)......The marshmallow part with Dumbledore must be one of my favorites ^____^ I love his little obsession with lemon drops and Muggle sweets...haha...
I'm in the process of checking out your stories...I will get around to reviewing eventually, never fear! It's just that I'm really not so great at finding interesting things to say in reviews, so they always take me forever to come out with (as I said in kellie's note above). I'm still battling out trying to write reviews for everblue3's fic at the moment—I'm not capable of multitasking anymore since my brain is fried. :) I'm amazed at all your guys' patience to be able to sit and write long reviews for fic...I think I've only ever been able to do it for Pensieve, and that's because the author either asked questions at the end of her chapter so I had stuff to write about, or I resorted to picking out a couple incidents from her story and writing about those and nothing else :) I'm flattered that you've written such a long one for this story and I'm grinning like a maniac because you added it to your favorites list!
Shree – Yay! Recommendations are always welcomed! (To other fic, or of course for this one!!!) Thanks for the review!
everblue3 – I'm glad you saw the update...hehehehe....I'm an impatient sort of person, so I had to update again! But I laid off for a little bit after that (for once, I actually had *other* stuff to do! ;D)
For a moment of fic-reader bonding, I've also been reading not only Pensieve but Sotto Voce (I agree with you, it's great), Ivy Leaves's other works, firebird's Right Royal Mixup (haven't decided whether to stick to the cut or uncut version yet), and even Mistress del Mare's Entranced and Forever Yours. And then there are so many others that are either on my favorites list, or that I've been skimming somewhat avidly in my spare time......I should get around to reviewing more for the fic I read (goodness knows I read enough of it) but I...I...okay, I admit it!...I'm lazy. It takes me so much time to come up with anything worthwhile to say in my reviews that by the time I get to finishing a few I'm already drained. I don't know how you do it—I keep seeing these long, excellent reviews from you on different stories while I'm still lurking in dark corners reading on...
Anyway, I believe we read lots of the same fic...you have such good taste ;)
Doesn't Snape seem like an insomniac-type to you? :D I'm not sure whether this Snape is really an insomniac...I think I just had James say that to be a wee bit spiteful. Though I bet you're right and I am unconsciously trying to mimic Pensieve in my writing. Attention shall be paid to this point forthwith. Meanwhile, I have yet to finish rereading your chapters and reviewing, so take your time with Chapter 9! (Not too much time, though. I do want to read it eventually....!!)
You are such a lovely reviewer. I hope somebody dedicates an entire fic to you. May Chapter 9 flow from your keyboard like...er...sweetness from a sugar quill? Yeah.....er.....moving on...
strwberryspice & KeeperOfTheMoon – Thank you for reviewing!!!! (And to KeeperOfTheMoon—hahahaha, I sorta wish they'd kissed too. Ah well! They're getting there...)
