Chapter 10: Candleburn in a Darkening Room

The sound of labored breathing could be heard from the general vicinity of Professor James Potter's bedroom.

"Harder...harder..." Lily's voice gasped out. "Ah!"

There was a live, writhing mass rumpling the covers of James's bed, from which place the sounds were coming.

"I don't want to hurt you, Lily," James groaned.

"You—won't—" Lily choked out.

James gave the robes a final yank, and the clasp which had been tangled in Lily's hair finally came undone and popped out. Lily's flushed face emerged from beneath the mass of green fabric, and she spent several minutes hacking and coughing. James slapped her several times on the back and conjured up a glass of water for her.

They'd spent the past twenty minutes trying to get Lily's dress robes off—it had started as a rather enjoyable occupation, until the buttons and clasp got stuck in her hair. Her elegant updo, which she had secured with a strong-holding charm, had proved to be a deathtrap when it refused to release her hair or her clothing. The twisted cloth of the robe effectively cut off her air supply as James attempted to work the garment off her head, and the couple's struggles had become rather frantic for the last five minutes when Lily had begun to turn purple and choke for air.

James wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief from his breast-pocket as Lily gulped water like someone dying of thirst. The two of them sat still afterwards, both breathing hard. Lily's dress robes were finally off, lying in a defeated pile on the floor, and her undergarments were rather askew. James was now in possession of what looked to be a set of the most wrinkled dress robes in the wizarding world.

They took in each other's appearance—and burst out laughing uproariously until tears were streaming down their faces. James removed his glasses to wipe the tears on a corner of his wrinkly robes, and Lily put them on the night-table, still laughing. Then she started working on the fastenings on James's robes, a half-smile on her face. The Very Wrinkled Robes were soon lying in a heap with her own discarded clothing; James had worked Lily's hair out of its confines so that it tumbled in a smooth stream down her back; and the couple was leaning in for a kiss, their eyes sliding shut.

Lily woke a few hours later to the sound of rain on the window and the familiar thrill of warm fingers drawing light patterns on her back. Without opening her eyes, she pressed against the figure next to her in bed and reached out deftly with one hand. The action elicited a gasp and a slight shocked movement, and she smiled, opening her eyes to look up into James's widened brown ones.

"Oh, you're asking for it," he growled, flipping her onto her back. Her laugh was cut off by a deep kiss.

A good deal of time later, the two of them lay peacefully in each other's arms. Lily's head was tucked snugly into James's shoulder, her arms still twined loosely about his neck. His hands were at her hips, perfectly still, as though to connect the flow of warmth from his body into hers. Their legs were still tangled together in the mess that had once been smooth bedsheets.

"James?" Hesitantly.

"Mmm?"

"Do you think—Trelawney—her prediction—"

"I don't know, Lils." Said with a sigh. "I wouldn't trust anything Trelawney says usually, but this time—"

"Yes, I know...her voice, and her eyes..."

"Well, you never know. It could just be her pretending again..."

"All the same, we'd better be more careful. Not that we aren't, but..."

"I think we should talk to Dumbledore about it. Tomorrow. But Trelawney's never made a prediction that came true before, so it would seem we're safe for now."

A giggle. "She said I would meet the love of my life and get married this year."

"The love of your life? Well, I can see that happening. But the married part? I hope you know that matrimony is supposed to be monogamous."

".......All right, I suppose I can limit myself to one husband if you limit yourself to one wife."

"Well, now, I don't know, Lily. I mean, don't you think that's asking a bit much? You're taking all the fun out of—ow!!"

"Serves you right, insufferable prat."

"Ow! That hurt, woman!"

"That was the idea."

"Fine then, if you want to work that way..."

"Ahh! Stop!!! No!!!! Hahahaha—Mmnn..."

And all attempts at conversation were ended for the night.

The next morning, Professors Potter and Evans showed up rather late for the noontime meal, eliciting stares and a torrent of whispers as they entered the Great Hall hand-in-hand, covered from head to toe in winter clothing.

"Feeling a bit chilly?" asked Sprout confusedly, as the weather that day was preternaturally warm. Dumbledore chuckled as the two professors shrugged and blushed, taking their seats at the table. They spent the rest of the meal looking at each other adoringly and feeding one another bits off their plates (they didn't even notice Snape glaring at them bitterly). It was all rather cute—or sickening, depending on your view on these kinds of matters.

"What in Merlin's name is going on between those two?" whispered a seventh-year Ravenclaw to his neighbour, who was staring at the couple with a shell-shocked expression on her face. "Didn't they hate each other??"

"I think it's adorable," sighed a young Hufflepuff girl with roly-poly curls. "They finally set aside their differences and fell in love, just like they do in those stories in Witch Weekly."

"Oh, my—" half-shrieked a girl from the Gryffindor table, before the boy next to her yanked her down in her seat and clamped a hand over her mouth. She turned to him with wide eyes as he released her. "Did you see? Did you see? They're both wearing wedding bands!"

"WHAT??" This time just about half the table turned in the direction of the lunching faculty, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the professors' hands. Luckily, Lily and James were too absorbed in each other to notice the commotion they were causing. The other tables—including the Slytherins'—were by now also working hard to get a good look.

"They are!" a small boy whispered in awe. "But why are they feeding each other and looking all dreamy into each other's eyes if they're both already married?"

"You dolt." An older girl smacked him across the head. The boy yelped and ducked down. "There's only one thing it could mean."

Professor Potter's fan club members looked extremely put out, while several boys were pushing food around on their plates, completely crestfallen.

"They're married to each other," she finished, sitting down and jabbing at her salad half-heartedly.

The news buzzed all around school for the next few days as more and more students witnessed Professors Potter and Evans walking together down the halls, sitting together at meals, and strolling on the grounds between classes. It startled people when Professor Potter was seen waiting outside Professor Evans's classroom, at the end of the day, leaning casually against the wall; or when Professor Evans had flowers and gifts delivered to her during class (she blushed hotly). Professor Evans took to sitting in Professor Potter's class during her free period, periodically raising her hand and asking deviously complicated questions with a smirk.

A couple students reported having seen the two of them in the midst of certain scandalous activities in a deserted corridor, but most attributed this to whimsical hearsay. More credible were the rumours that the two had been seen kissing in the empty Transfiguration classroom after classes were over, but again, there was no solid proof.

While many admirers of the two professors were wary to believe the truth (some remained in denial for quite some time), certain of their number, as well as a vast majority of the rest of Hogwarts's student population, were wont to admit that the two of them did make a good-looking couple. Even the girls that had belonged to James's fan club had to grudgingly allow that Professor Evans was very pretty and clever indeed; and while the boys did not give the same vote of confidence to Professor Potter's looks, it was a general consensus that his Quidditch prowess was admirable, to say the least. "He could have played for the Arrows," was heard from an awed first-year at one point. Gryffindor's team provided stalwart support in this respect, and wouldn't hear of anyone questioning the professor's skill. This generally did away with doubt, as the Gryffindor team had gone undefeated for years.

Lily and James approached Dumbledore together on the matter of Trelawney's prediction. The two of them were more inclined to believe it was another dramatization of Trelawney's invention than a true reading of the future; however, the strange look on the Divination professor's face as she had spoken that night cast a shadow of doubt on their assumptions. Dumbledore listened to their recounting of the event attentively, a thoughtful and wary look on his face.

"...And so, Albus, we were wondering whether Trelawney could have made a real prediction, for once in her career?" James finished, smiling lopsidedly. Lily rolled her eyes slightly.

Dumbledore chuckled at the look on Lily's face, and remained silent for a lengthy moment, his eyes concentrating on the faces of the witch and wizard before him.

"Professor Trelawney's skills as a Seer are, I admit, slightly—er—questionable..." he began. Both professors had to visibly restrain themselves from snorting, and looked slightly sheepish under Dumbledore's reproving glance.

"However," he continued, "there may be a good chance that this is her first true prediction." He looked over the rim of his moon-shaped spectacles at them and again stated the obvious quite cryptically. "As you well know, there are very dark times ahead. Very dark times."

The older wizard stood slowly, turning toward the window where Fawkes perched in faded red and gold glory. After another silence, he spoke again. "I've received word from Minerva that their work is almost done, for the time being. She says that they may be back at Hogwarts by the end of this year."

He turned back towards James and Lily, who had yet to come up with a reply. "If Professors McGonagall and Flitwick return at the end of the year, they will undoubtedly wish to resume their duties as Transfiguration and Charms professors after the winter vacation. At that time, I will, unfortunately, have to ask the two of you to return to your work at the Ministry."

The two of them, still at a loss for words, merely nodded.

"It might not be a bad idea," Dumbledore added, with a slight hesitation, "if the two of you considered going into hiding."

"What?!" Both of them cried out, then turned to each other with a half-smile, though their faces quickly sobered.

"You remember, James, why Voldemort was after your family," Dumbledore said gently. It was all he needed to say.

The couple's heads drooped immediately. They had hoped to live their life in peace, without having to take too many extra precautions, since the peaceful Voldemort-less interlude. Now that it was over, they realized, and the Order had been called back together, Voldemort was rising into high power again. They would have to be careful—extremely careful. And if what Dumbledore had said previously proved correct—if there was really a spy somewhere nearby—then they wouldn't even be able to continue their casual living (if such it could be called). They might have to work from home if they continued, rather than risk apparating or flooing—transportation could be tampered with, and trying muggle methods would only endanger ignorant muggles.

"We'll see," Dumbledore finished, walking towards the door. "There's still some time yet before they return, and any number of things could happen between now and then. I ask only that the two of you try to prepare yourselves. And—ah, yes—" He turned to James. "James, it might interest you to know that Crouch has been pushing for Aurors to be allowed to use the Unforgivable Curses."

"What??" The couple cried simultaneously (again!), in shocked tones.

The headmaster nodded harshly. "I can't say I approve, but I don't have much of a say in these matters anymore, not since the attacks have become so frequent and the Ministry's fear has gotten somewhat beyond all reason. The move hasn't been passed yet, but Crouch seems intent on its going through. I thought you might want to be prepared."

The Potters assented and exited the room in stunned silence.

Notes:

Yaaaagh. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh. I don't like dealing with this Phoenix-y stuff!

But I DO love you reviewers. Here are your messages:

tatiana258 – I'm sorry you haven't been able to get online/use your computer. How well I understand your pain (unfortunately). I hope it's nothing more serious than a delay...it would suck if your computer crashed due to a virus and you lost all your files including a 100-page thesis paper in the making...not that that's happened to me....just saying ;)

KeeperOfTheMoon – Thanks for reviewing! Looking forward to seeing more comments from you :)

kellie – Thanks for the notes! I'm glad you're enjoying the fluffiness. Hopefully you weren't late for work =/

met19 – Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you liked it!

char – I'm glad you liked the Snape scene...I wasn't really sure whether anybody would (I was ambiguous about it, myself, unfortunately). Good to know somebody's appreciating it ;) Thanks for reviewing!

Kirbee – Yes....the gossiping tongues a-wagging...to some good extent, I hope? ;) Trelawney—based a lot on that time she made the prediction to Harry. I'm glad I've never had to witness anyone possessed...I think I'd be terrified beyond reason.....as for the updates, I think I'm trying to update fairly regularly :) It's a lot easier when you've got the bulk of the chapters written already. (If I didn't have them already, I would probably still be at chapter 3...hehhee...)

rosezgarden – Thanks for all the positive comments!! :D We'll see a little more of the other Marauders as the chapters go on, never fear. Particularly Sirius. :) I didn't like Trelawney's prediction myself...I imagine it being extremely scary despite Trelawney's general ridiculous-ness. I don't want them to die, either. I admit I somewhat like some of the stories that have James and Lily miraculously living. I'm tempted to make mine like that...or I would be tempted, if I were creative enough to fit it effectively into the existing plot/canon. But since I'm not, well then... :D Although I do have a couple of...er...quirky....(yeah,....quirky's one way to describe it) ideas as to new stories....yes, I'm rather tempted to write another one...we'll see how much procrastination time the remainder of this semester gives me...

everblue3 – You know, I hate to play favorites with reviewers but I really see what all those other fic authors are saying when they keep bringing you up in their A/N with lots of praise and adoration. You deserve something...nice. Orlando Bloom with a bow on top? Name your man. ;)

Anyway. I'd written this long response to your reviews/email and saved it onto a floppy only. This was a bad idea. With my luck with computers (and all things related)...for some reason my computer is no longer reading this floppy. Therefore I can either try to duplicate what I'd written earlier here (and we all know how disastrous that can be), or give up altogether. Um, I don't know what I would rather do. Guess I'll respond once more...

Soo...yes. firebird is the one who's still a lucky teen. (Sigh.) I wish I was still 15...I think that was my peak year for just about everything. Things've been progressively going downhill since then. (Sigh again.) As for housing, I've been in and out of apartments for the last two years ...I've been living by myself this semester, which is actually okay, as it's fun to be able to blare my music and dance around singing like an idiot without anyone giving me funny looks. My favorite part would have to be not having to wash anyone else's dishes. Yes. But I might move again after this semester with a friend, so we'll see...

10,000 words for Chapter 9? 10,000?!?!?!?! You do realize that's about 1/3 of my story thus far? I'm very impressed. You're insane!!! But in a really good, really appreciated way. ;D I think I can safely say that we readers love you. :) I wish you well in your writings and hope it may come out on or around Sunday...

The sword—well, just wave it about half-asleep the next time your roommate gets an early-morning phone call. I'm sure she'll get the message. :)

I'm cheered immensely by the fact that you didn't find the prank completely stupid. I was going for something different from the pink/glittery robes/hair/skin bit, so I'm glad I succeeded in that respect.

I'm scared to address the rest of your review-comments, because they made me quite flustered and embarrassed. :D I am grinning largely though.

I am a HUGE fan of fluff and sap and whatnot, so ideally that's what I'd like to provide (in some places, anyway). I'm not too sure about my skills in drawing the distinction between nice fluff and complete overblown mushiness, though, so I reallyreallyreally appreciate it when you say that it isn't overdone. The wedding bands do come into play in this chapter, but I didn't want to write the scene of exchange for fear of overdoing it into something long-winded and disgustingly corny. (I find I do have those tendencies in me, so I think I need to work on that. I'm always a bit tempted to write the mushiness, but when I do it just rears up and bites me in the ass later and I want to die of embarrassment.)

Hm...I think that's all I'm going to say for now. My original response was much longer, so this is a bit depressing. I wanted to also comment on your teaser for Chapter 9 now, but I find that I'm feeling sick (I really have screwed my immune system over the past couple of months...stupid school), so I'm going to post this and go to bed. Hopefully I can get around to rewriting my response tomorrow...(I'll send along an email when I'm up and about.)

Hm...next time I have such a long response to a reviewer, I think I'll email it. Yes.